Ramalina menziesii
| Ramalina menziesii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Ramalinaceae |
| Genus: | Ramalina |
| Species: | R. menziesii |
| Binomial name | |
| Ramalina menziesii | |
Ramalina menziesii, the lace lichen, is a pale yellowish-green to grayish-green foliose lichen that grows up to a meter long, hanging from bark and twigs in a distinctive net-like or lace-like pattern that is unlike any other lichen in North America.[1]:192 It becomes a deeper green when wet.[1]:192 Apothecia are lecanorine.[1]:192 it is an important food source for deer in the Coast Range of California, and a source of nest material for birds.[1]:192 It is highly variable in its growth form, with branches sometimes so slender as to appear like strands, sometimes tiny, and sometimes large with broadly flattened branches.[1]:192
Lichen spot tests on the cortex are K-, C-, P- and KC+ dark yellow.[1]:192
After years of effort, the California Lichen Society was able to honor this lichen as the state lichen of California, and the first ever state lichen.[2]