Ciliate Wrinkle-Lichen

Ciliate wrinkle lichen (Tuckermannopsis ciliaris) is a foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae, distributed across the Northern Hemisphere in boreal, montane, and arctic-alpine zones of Europe, North America, and Asia. It grows on bark and branches of conifers and deciduous trees, as well as on rock surfaces in open to semi-shaded habitats. The thallus is leaf-like, moderately lobed, and greenish-gray to brownish when dry, with a distinctive ciliate (fringed with hair-like projections) margin that gives the species its common name. The lower surface is pale to tan with a network of ridges. Like other parmelioid lichens, Tuckermannopsis ciliaris is sensitive to air pollution, particularly sulfur dioxide, and has declined in urban and industrialized areas where it once occurred. It is not formally assessed by the IUCN. The species serves as a food source and nesting material for small birds in northern forests and contributes to bark microhabitat diversity. Molecular studies have helped clarify the systematics of Tuckermannopsis relative to related genera such as Platismatia and Cetrelia. Conservation of clean-air boreal and montane forest habitats is important for this and related foliose lichens. The genus Tuckermannopsis is named in honor of the American botanist Edward Tuckerman, a pioneer of North American lichenology.