Ramalina pollinaria

Summary

Ramalina pollinaria is a Eurasian, rock- and bark-dwelling fruticose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. This lichen forms pale green to yellowish branching structures that grow 1–5 cm long and produce powdery reproductive particles called soredia. It was originally discovered in Sweden in 1795 and was noted by early botanists as valuable for producing dyes, yielding light-green colours on silk and brown shades on wool. The species grows on both tree bark and rocks across Europe and Asia, though it is not particularly common in any location. Recent molecular phylogenetics studies have helped scientists separate this European species from similar-looking lichens found in East Asia and North America.