Identification: Light Green Strings that Grow on Tree Bark, Coarse Sparse Tufts vs Fine Dense Tufts - 2 Species ?

Hello Everyone,

Do you know what this is? It grows on tree bark, on the trunk and branches, and makes strings and tufts of light green colour. Pictures A, B, C, and D show strings and tufts with similar qualities, but A and B are coarser and sparser, while C and D are finer and denser. Are they 2 different species?

Location : Mount Seymour
Elevation : 1100 ~ 1200 m
Season : Mid April

Jason

A B C D

 

Excellent question Jason, and thank you for the details and multiple shots of this lichen.

The first step, check for an internal elastic cord: Hold a strand pinched in your fingers at both ends, and pull it apart gently/firmly/slowly. If you feel or see an internal elastic cord snap then you start looking at species in the genus Usnea. If not, you re looking at genus Alectoria (or in some cases perhaps one of the paler Bryorias).

The Photo #3 and #4 are too distant for me to tell if these are different from #1 and #2 or not, but your description suggests that they may be. Texture, branching, branch diameter, length - all useful characters in identifying these.

Re #1 and #2, although there is both a local Usnea species and a local Alectoria species that look like this, three things will help you decide that it is an Alectoria: Coarse/stiff texture that you noted, the lack of elastic cord inside, and the (sometimes present) dark disc-shaped apothecia (photo #2, lower right).
Based on colour and habitat, this is likely Alectoria sarmentosa ssp. sarmentosa.

cheers,
frog

 

... also known as Familiar Witch's Hair lichen

 

Thank you, Frog, for your detailed explanation. I hope to return to the area later this year, and will be sure to trying pulling on #1 and #2, and take more detailed photos of #3 and #4.