Voting begins for lichen emblem
Nature P.E.I. wants to give Islanders the opportunity to vote for their favourite lichen species.
Nature P.E.I. president Rosemary Curley said the society will recommend the winner to the provincial government for consideration as an official provincial emblem, as part of a national campaign to select both national and provincial emblems.
“We are curious about lichens, but we don’t know much about them, and we hope that this initiative will raise awareness of this unique and important group of organisms,” said Curley in a news release.
In lichens, two life-forms – fungus and algae – live together with mutual benefits. The algal partner can convert sunlight to provide energy.
Fungi are able to give algae protection and provide water and minerals.
Some lichens have a bacterial partner.
Lichens also play an important role in our ecosystems, can be sensitive indicators of pollution and have been used as traditional medicines and dyes.
In P.E.I., 328 lichen species have been recorded to date and four nominees have been proposed, which include bushy beard lichen, frayed ramalina, pink earth lichen and lungwort.
Islanders can vote until April 25 online at naturepei. ca or by mail to Nature P.E.I., PO Box 2346, Charlottetown, PE, C1A 8C1.
THE NOMINEES ARE:
– Bushy Beard Lichen
(Usnea strigosa) is found in open sites on branches and trunks of white spruce and other conifers, and on deciduous shrubs and trees, including oak trees.
This bushy lichen supports round bristly discs of pale yellow or even pinkish that are its fruiting bodies or apothecia.
As with other lichens, it may have medicinal properties, perhaps providing relief from a headache.
– Pink Earth Lichen (Dibaeis baeomyces) is usually found on disturbed soil where competition from moss, herbs, shrubs and other lichens is limited, thriving on well-drained road banks in full sun where it helps to hold soil in place and build more soil.
The fruiting bodies (apothecia) of the Pink Earth Lichen consist of a short stalk, about a half a centimetre, topped by a tiny turban of unmistakable pink.
– Frayed Ramalina (Ramalina roesleri) has been found on hardwoods and conifers and less often on rock or wood in coastal bogs and woodlands throughout PEI.
It is finely crafted in pale white to yellow-green with main branches about 2 mm in diameter and powdery growths at the tips, called soredia that enable vegetative reproduction. This lichen may have some medicinal benefits.
– Lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) is found in shady locations on the trunks and branches of larger deciduous trees like maple and American Beech, and less commonly on conifers and mossy rocks. It is named for its lobed growth habit showing ridges and depressions like lobes of a lung. Lungwort has a tan to gray look when dry but is bright green when wet.
If in doubt as to its identity, simply pour water on it and watch it turn bright green.
It contains several acids that discourage snails and slugs from eating it and is widely believed to have medicinal properties. It has also been used a source of dye.
Over-collecting in some countries has contributed to its scarcity, and it is also affected by air pollution and acid rain.