What are fruticose lichens?

Perhaps because of the unusual and varied forms of lichen thalli, natural historians traditionally struggled to describe the species. read more

Fruticose lichen is a form of lichen composed of a shrubby or bushy thallus and a holdfast. The thallus is the vegetative body of a lichen that does not have true leaves, stems, or roots. Thallus colour of the lichen can be attributed to the amount of light in its environment. read more

The pendent fruticose lichen called California Spanish moss (Ramalina menziesii) hanging from the branches of a valley oak (Quercus lobata) in the Coast Ranges of central California. Center photo shows the reticulate (netlike) pattern of the thalus of this lichen. read more

Lichens Photo Gallery Fruticose Lichens. Click the thumbnail images below to see larger images of the lichens. Alectoria sarmentosa. Photo by Karen Dillman. read more