Whiteworm Lichen

Thamnolia vermicularis, the whiteworm lichen, is the traditional name applied to a widespread, morphologically uniform group of fruticose lichens in the family Icmadophilaceae. The species forms loose mats or scattered tufts of slender, worm-like, chalky-white branches that typically reach up to 5 cm long, growing on tundra terrain across arctic and alpine habitats. It was first described in 1781 by the Swedish botanist Olof Swartz from the alpine regions of Lapland, and the modern scientific name was...