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Federal Protection: No US federal protection

State Protection: No Georgia state protection

Global Rank: G4G5

State Rank: SNR

Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: No

SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): No

SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): No

2025 SGCN Priority Tier:

Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 0

Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Montane hardwood forest

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Description

Green thallus of terete branches with an elastic (when wet) or hard central cord or axis; thallus sub-pendent to pendent, with long, narrow, graceful branches; long, narrow fibrils/side branches are only slightly curved, interspersed along branches; isidia are sparsely scattered along branch tips, often only 1/soralium; medulla narrow, dense, white, axis & cortex thin; CHEMISTRY: medulla K-, KC+ pink, PD+ red (protocetraric acid); FIELD ID: requires chemical tests & dissection to ID

Similar Species

Usnea subgracilis is the only long, graceful beard in the mountains with a PD+ red medulla; it is not as stout or stiff as U. ceratina (CK+ orange, P-) & lacks the warts of that species; nor is it as shrubby and stiff as U. subscabrosa (also P+ red) which has larger soralia with many isidia; U. diplotypus has different medullar chemistry (K+ red, P-)

Related Rare Species

Usnea baileyi, U. dimorpha

Habitat

Montane hardwood forest; substrates: mostly hardwood bark, with no particular predilection evident; 2 records on Tsuga bark, & 5 records on silicious rock

Life History

Corticolous fruticose lichenized fungus, photobiont a green alga (Trebouxia?).

Survey Recommendations

None

Range

Southern Blue Ridge

Threats

Unknown

Georgia Conservation Status

Common

Conservation Management Recommendations

None

References

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.

Tripp, E. A. & J. C. Lendemer. 2020. Field guide to the lichens of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville.

Authors of Account

Malcolm Hodges

Date Compiled or Updated

2 August 2022