58 



York highlands is the same as either E. prunastri or E. tham- 

 nodes of Europe, but Muhlenberg applied the present name, 

 which therefore has the sanction of long use. It is not likely to 

 be confused with any lichen except Ramalina, from which it 

 contrasts in the lax, cottony structure inside, that of Ramalina 

 being firm and dense, and drying somewhat like noodles. E. 

 furfuracea and E. Cladonia are more rigid, and have none of the 

 yellowish tint usually seen in E. prunastri. The pointed tips 

 distinguish it from nearly all members of Group 4, and all of 

 Group 5. 



Evernia furfuracea. Sprout Lichen. 



Some botanists include this species in Parmelia (Group 5) 

 and forms of it appear to belong there, for it varies greatly. On 

 high mountains its whitish or silver-gray tufts, blackening at 

 the base, reach a length of 15 cm. or more, while main stalks 

 often spread 1 cm. wide. The under side is almost pure white 

 near the tips, but browned or blackening in older parts, and 

 marked with a net-like pattern of raised veins which blacken 

 first. The outstanding character of E. furfuracea is a multitude 

 of tiny "sprouts" usually less than 1 mm. long, standing out 

 along the margins like broken teeth of a saw, while either 

 scattered or densely massed over the upper surface of the stalks 

 may be granules or tiny coral-like growths, giving a character- 

 istic fuzzy appearance. The stalks fasten themselves at various 

 points to the bark or wood, as Papery Lichens do, but the 

 branches usually stand out nearly horizontally, 2 to 5 cm. or 

 more from the foothold. 



Fruits, very rare, are brown disks along the margins, up to 

 15 mm. across. Spores undivided, colorless, 5 to 8 by 3 to 5 

 microns. 



Typical E. furfuracea can be distinguished from typical 

 E. prunastri and E. Cladonia by a glance at the illustrations. 

 Some smoother forms might be mistaken at first sight for the 

 much more common Parmelia physodes and its close relative 

 P. vittata, but the tips of these Shield Lichens are slightly swollen 

 and often brown beneath, while those of the Evernia are white 

 beneath, and paper-thin. The color and texture of E. furfuracea, 

 especially in forms with dense, coral-like surface growth, sug- 

 gest Cetraria aleurites (Parmeliopsis aleurites) (Group 5), which 



