BERNT LVNGK. M.-N. Kl. 



THE ECONOMIC USE OF LICHENS IN NORWAY. 



For times immemorial lichens have been used in this country as food 

 for people and cattle, for dyeing and for the preparation of spirits. 



The increased cultivation of potatoes and imported sugar supplied 

 materials much better adapted for fermentation, and lichens are now quite 

 out of use for this purpose. 



Moreover chemical dyes' have destroyed the common use of lichens 

 for dyeing. It is now quite a rare thing to find an old farmer's wife in 

 a remote valley who has not forgotten her mothers' skill and who colours 

 her woollen yarn with lichen dyes. But the lichen dyes are greatly 

 renowned for their high quality and they are still in use for more artistic 

 purposes. Carpet yarn is often coloured by means of vegetable dyes, 

 several of which are produced from lichens. 



The use of lichens as food and forage has been important, and as 

 forage it is still so. The lichens used are Cetraria islaiidica, incl. of 

 C. crispa, perhaps also of C. Iiiascois, and Cladonia alpcstris, including the 

 other Cladinae. This is also indicated by their popular names, e. g. for 

 Cetraria islandica (sensu latiore): matuiose (food-moss), brodmosc (bread- 

 moss), svinamose and grisaiiiose (swine-moss), for Cladonia alpcstris: rein(s)- 

 mose (reindeer-moss). 



During the war, our food supply became so scarce that it was 

 necessary to investigate every reserve, also the distribution, quantity and 

 usefulness of our lichens. Several reports were supplied to our Board of 

 Agriculture; some results of botanical interest may be mentioned. 



Cetraria islandica. 



Many persons, even scientists, had phantastic conceptions regarding 

 the immense quantity of this species in Norway. It was supposed to cover 

 extensive areas in the forest and elsewhere. It soon became evident that 

 such conceptions were greatly exaggerated. Cetraria islandica is what a 

 botanist will cale 'common and general' in many parts of our country, 

 but only at few and restricted places is it so abundant that it can be 

 utilised to any extent. Even incl. of C. crispa it is not as abundant as 



