Field Guide

Mosses, Liverworts, and Lichens

Showing 1 - 10 of 15 results
Sinewed ramalina, or American cartilage lichen (Ramalina americana), growing on a tree trunk
Twig Lichens (Ramalina Lichens)
Ramalina spp.
Twig lichens, or ramalina lichens, are branching, shrubby lichens that grow in tufts from a single point. They are grayish green, and the branches are distinctively flattened.
Rock greenshield lichen growing on a rock
Rock Greenshield Lichen
Flavoparmelia baltimorensis
The rock greenshield lichen is a medium to large, green foliose lichen. Common and widespread, it grows on rocks and is especially characteristic of dry, igneous woodlands.
Ruffle lichen growing on a tree trunk, showing upraised thallus lobes and hairlike marginal cilia
Ruffle Lichens (Parmotrema Lichens)
Parmotrema spp.
Ruffle lichens are rather large, broad-lobed foliose lichens that are loosely attached to the substrate. The rounded edges of the lobes usually lift up and look ruffled. Hairlike cilia arise from the lobe edges. They usually grow on tree bark.
Stippleback lichen (Dermatocarpon sp.) growing on a rock
Stippleback Lichens (Dermatocarpon Lichens)
Dermatocarpon spp.
Stippleback lichens, or rock tripes, are almost always found on bluffs, boulders, and outcrops. They cling to their substrate by a single point of attachment and typically grow in clusters. The surface of these floppy-looking lichens is covered with tiny black dots.
Dog tooth lichen showing thallus undersides and upraised, white lobe tips
Dog Tooth Lichen
Peltigera canina
Dog tooth lichen, Peltigera canina, is a foliose lichen that usually grows on soil. It’s common and easy to identify. The spore-bearing structures are rusty brown and rolled, standing upright at the lobe tips.
Star rosette lichen (Physcia stellaris) growing with firedot lichen (Caloplaca sp.) on tree bark at Runge CA
Star Rosette Lichen
Physcia stellaris
The star rosette lichen is a super common, small foliose lichen that most often grows on trees, including trunks, limbs, and twigs. The pale gray thallus has branching, petal-like lobes. The center of the rosette is almost always crowded with apothecia cups with black or dark gray centers.
Orange sunburst lichen (Xanthoria sp.) growing on tombstone, closeup showing rosette growth pattern
Orange Sunburst Lichens (Xanthoria Lichens)
Xanthoria spp. (also Xanthomendoza; Polycauliona)
Orange sunburst lichens are orange or yellow orange. They have a circular, foliose growth pattern with tiny, branching lobes, but this pattern is often lost when these lichens form masses of tiny scale-like fragments. They can be very common on sunny rocks and tombstones.
Yellow cobblestone lichen (Acarospora contigua) on a rock
Cobblestone Lichens (Acarospora Lichens)
Acarospora spp.
Cobblestone lichens , or cracked lichens, grow flat against their substrate and are textured like lumpy cobblestone streets or old, cracked paint, or they are broken into sections like the mud of a dried lake. Depending on species, the color can range from white to greenish gray to brown to bright yellow.
A variety of foliose lichens nearly covering the trunk of a small redbud tree, with redbud flowers in upper right
Lichens
About 436 species in Missouri
A lichen is a composite organism formed by certain fungus species that join with certain algae species. Lichens can be many colors and can be crusty, leaflike, flaky, branching, or mossy. They grow on rocks, trees, or other surfaces.
Dust lichen, Lepraria sp., growing with moss at the base of a tree trunk
Dust Lichens (Lepraria Lichens)
Lepraria spp.
Dust lichens resemble a pale green or gray mass of dust clumped at the damp base of a tree trunk or in a rocky crevice. The dusty grains are tiny packages of lichen that can be moved away to make new lichens elsewhere.
See Also

About Mosses, Liverworts, and Lichens in Missouri

Mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens seem rather similar, but these organisms are in very different groups. Mosses, liverworts, and hornworts are small, low plants usually found in damp habitats. Unlike more familiar plants, they lack veinlike structures and do not produce flowers or seeds — instead, they produce spores. Meanwhile, lichens are not plants at all: they are a collection of different fungi that have photosynthetic algae living within their tissues.