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Usnea angulata Ach.
Rough Beard
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: G3G5
State Rank: S1S2
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: No
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): No
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: High Conservation Concern
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 0
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Mesic mixed forests near streams
Pale yellow-green thallus of terete branches with an elastic (when wet) or hard central cord or axis; thallus pendent, up to 20 cm long, usually appearing angular & crumpled, without smooth arcs; branches with longitudinal ridges, often angular in cross-section; short acute-tipped branches called fibrils frequent along main branches; soralia near tips of branches common, small, containing both soredia & isidia, the latter sometimes also developing away from soralia; medulla thick, dense, white; CHEMISTRY: medulla K+ yellow turning red (norstictic, salazinic & galbinic acids); FIELD ID possible with experience
Other pendant Usnea in the mountains lack prominent longitudinal ridges
Usnea baileyi, U. dimorpha
Mesic mixed forests near streams; in Ga. noted on Alnus & Quercus bark
Corticolous fruticose lichenized fungus, photobiont a green alga (Trebouxia?).
Investigate likely streams in Southern Blue Ridge, starting from known locations
Southern Blue Ridge
Unknown (air pollution? climate change?)
Rare, probably imperiled to critically imperiled in Ga. (ranked S1 in both N.C. & Va.); has apparently declined dramatically, now extirpated from most of historical range
A survey is needed
Brodo, I. M. 2001. Lichens of North America. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.
Brodo, I. M. 2016. Keys to lichens of North America: revised and expanded. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.
Esslinger, T. L. 2021. A cumulative checklist for the lichen-forming, lichenicolous and allied fungi of the continental United States and Canada. Version 24. Opuscula Philolichenum 20: 100-394.
Harris, R. C. & D. Ladd. 2005. Preliminary draft: Ozark lichens. Unpublished manuscript, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY.
Malcolm Hodges
2 August 2022