Parmelia hygrophila is a corticolous (bark-dwelling) foliose lichen in the Parmelia saxatilis group, described in 1983 from the Pacific Northwest of North America. It was segregated from material that had often been folded into a broad concept of P. saxatilis. The species is characterised by its greyish-green, leafy thallus that produces abundant tiny outgrowths called isidia along the lobe margins and upper surface for reproduction. It grows in the humid forests of the Pacific Northwest, growing on the bark of both coniferous and deciduous trees from coastal regions to mid-elevation mountain forests.
From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is it poisonous?
We have no record of Western Shield Lichen being toxic, poisonous or venomous. That is not proof that it is safe. Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.
Easily confused with
- Parmelia squarrosa
- Parmelia submontana
- Parmelia sulcata
- Hypotrachyna horrescens
- Parmotrema subtinctorium
- Parmelia saxatilis
Classification
- Kingdom
- Fungi
- Phylum
- Ascomycota
- Class
- Lecanoromycetes
- Order
- Lecanorales
- Family
- Parmeliaceae
- Genus
- Parmelia
- Species
- Parmelia hygrophila
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