Cartilage Lichen

Cartilage lichen, Ramalina fraxinea, is a fruticose lichen with erect or hanging, flattened branches ranging in color from pale green through yellow-grey to white-grey, often bearing fruiting bodies and sometimes soralia. Widespread across the United Kingdom, it grows chiefly on the bark of trees such as maple, ash, poplar, linden and elm, favoring windy, well-lit, humid or foggy sites near water. Sensitive to air pollution and fertilizer enrichment, it has declined sharply since the mid twentieth century.