Lungwort Lichen
Lungwort lichen (Lobaria pulmonaria) is a large, leafy, green lichen with a pitted, lung-like surface that grows on the trunks of old trees in clean, humid forests. It is a well-known indicator of old-growth woodland and clean air.
Lungwort lichen (Lobaria pulmonaria) is a large, leafy, green lichen with a pitted, lung-like surface that grows on the trunks of old trees in clean, humid forests. It is a well-known indicator of old-growth woodland and clean air.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Lungwort Lichen in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Opisthokonta lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Three Partners: Fungus, Alga and Cyanobacterium
Besides the fungus and a green alga, lungwort lichen houses cyanobacteria of the genus Nostoc in small structures called cephalodia. The cyanobacteria fix atmospheric nitrogen, which enriches the lichen and the forest. See Nitrogen fixation.
The Doctrine of Signatures
Because the lichen looks like lung tissue, it was used for centuries to treat lung diseases, following the medieval idea that a plant's appearance signals its use. There is no evidence that it works.
Sensitive to Pollution
It has declined greatly in industrial regions where acid rain and sulfur dioxide kill the lichen, and where old forests are cut. See Common Orange Lichen.
Lungwort Lichen at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Lobaria pulmonaria |
| Kingdom | Fungi |
| Phylum | Fungi |
| Class | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order | Peltigerales |
| Family | Lobariaceae |
| Field Guide group | Opisthokonta: Fungi (True Fungi & Lichens) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Leafy green lobes with a net of ridges and hollows resembling lung tissue, growing on old trees in clean-air forests. |
| IUCN Red List status | Not Evaluated (NE): no global IUCN assessment |
| Partners | Fungus, green alga and cyanobacterium |
| Indicator of | Old-growth forest and clean air |