Old man's beard is the common name for lichens of the genus Usnea, pale greenish-gray, fruticose lichens that hang in long, hair-like, branching strands from tree branches and bark in forests worldwide. Like many lichens, it is highly sensitive to air pollution and largely absent from heavily polluted areas, making it a useful bioindicator of air quality, and it has a long history of traditional use for its antimicrobial properties in treating wounds.
Facts
Classification
Relationship to PeopleUsed in Traditional Medicine 1 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Scientific Name Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source GBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Usnea
Sources
1. Usnea (Wikipedia)
Lead
Usnea is a genus of fruticose lichens in the large family Parmeliaceae.
Medicinal use
Usnea lichens have been used traditionally for medicinal purposes, textile dyes, fire starters, and occasionally as emergency food, and serve important ecological roles including providing nesting material for birds.
Dye use
Usnea lichens have been used traditionally for medicinal purposes, textile dyes, fire starters, and occasionally as emergency food, and serve important ecological roles including providing nesting material for birds.
View the Source2. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Usnea
GBIF Backbone TaxonomyTaxon recordQuote, Taxon record
"canonicalName": "Usnea"
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