Smooth lungwort

Lobaria quercizans

''Lobaria quercizans'', commonly known as the smooth lungwort, is a macrolichen. It forms large, smooth, grey growths which often have abundant red-brown apothecia.
Lobaria quercizans, Smooth Lungwort Lichen Lobaria quercizans with apothecia growing on the bark of a black ash tree in a forested wetland. Lichen shown is wet. Geotagged,Lobaria quercizans,Minnesota,Spring,United States,apothecia,black ash,lichen,wetland

Distribution

Most records are from eastern North America but there are also isolated probable location records from South America , eastern Asia . In eastern North America it is found from Newfoundland to northern Georgia and west to eastern Minnesota. An outlying population is found in the Ouachita Mountains.
Lobaria quercizans, Smooth Lungwort Lichen Lobaria quercizans with apothecia growing on the bark of a black ash tree in a forested wetland. Lichen shown is dry. Geotagged,Lobaria quercizans,Minnesota,Spring,United States,apothecia,black ash,lichen,wetland

Habitat

In eastern North America, ''L. quercizans'' is found primarily on the bark of deciduous trees, usually maples . In the southern parts of its range ''A. saccharum'' is preferred. Further north, where there is less ''A. saccharum'', ''A. rubrum'' is favoured.
Lobaria quercizans Lobaria quercizans (Smooth Lungwort) growing on a black ash tree. I'm not sure why this species is named "Smooth Lungwort" when the surface is definitely corrugated. Fraxinus nigra,Geotagged,Lobaria quercizans,Smooth lungwort,United States,Winter,black ash,lichens

Uses

The lichen is used for food and medicine by the Menomini people of Wisconsin.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomFungi
DivisionAscomycota
ClassLecanoromycetes
OrderPeltigerales
FamilyLobariaceae
GenusLobaria
SpeciesL. quercizans
Photographed in
United States of America