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Gold-eye lichen, (Teloschistes chrysophthalmus), photo © Samuel Brinker.
There are 48 lichens on Wisconsin's Natural Heritage Working List, including four that are tracked by the Natural Heritage Inventory. Lichens are a symbiotic combination of two or occasionally three organisms: a fungus and a photosynthetic algae and/or cyanobacteria. As such, they don't fit into the traditional definition of a plant.
These pages contain information about Wisconsin's rare lichens, including where they are found in the state, how to identify them and photos. Currently, we only provide information on a few rare lichens, but we will update more species pages over time.
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Global Rank |
State Rank |
Federal Status |
WI Status |
Mapped in NHI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usnea diplotypus | Beard Lichen | GNR | S2? | SC | Y | |
| Cladonia cornuta | Bighorn Cladonia | G5 | S2 | SC | Y | |
| Cladina stygia | Black-footed Reindeer Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Usnea trichodea | Bony Beard Lichen | G5 | SH | SC | Y | |
| Protopannaria pezizoides | Brown-Gray Moss Shingle | G5 | SH | SC | Y | |
| Usnea strigosa | Bush Beard Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Pseudevernia consocians | Common Antler Lichen | G4G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Solorina saccata | Common Chocolate Chip Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Leptogium teretiusculum | Curly Jellyskin | G4G5Q | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Ramalina farinacea | Dotted Ramalina | G5 | SH | SC | Y | |
| Ahtiana aurescens | Eastern Candlewax Lichen | G3G5 | SH | SC | Y | |
| Peltigera elisabethae | Elizabeth's Felt Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Peltigera extenuata | Felt Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Sticta beauvoisii | Fringed Moon Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Physcia tenella | Fringed Rosette Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Dirinaria frostii | Frosty Medallion Lichen | G3G5 | SH | SC | Y | |
| Teloschistes chrysophthalmus | Gold-eye Lichen | G4G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Bryoria pikei | Gray Horsehair Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Cladonia sulphurina | Greater Sulphur Cup | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Anaptychia crinalis | Hanging Fringed Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Cladonia magyarica | Magyar Cup Lichen | GNR | S2 | SC | Y | |
| Lempholemma polyanthes | Many-fruited Membrane Lichen | GNR | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Usnea longissima | Methuselah's Head Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Cladonia decorticata | Naked Cladonia | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Nephroma bellum | Naked Kidney Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Evernia prunastri | Oakmoss Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Ramalina unifolia | One Leaf Ramalina | GNR | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Heppia lutosa | Pale Soil Ruby | G3G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Melanelia sorediata | Powdered Camouflage Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Parmotrema stuppeum | Powder-edged Ruffle Lichen | G4G5 | SH | SC | Y | |
| Cladonia incrassata | Powder-foot British Soldiers | G5? | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Hypogymnia tubulosa | Powder-headed Tube Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Physciella melanchra | Powdery Cryptic Rosette Lichen | G5 | S2 | SC | Y | |
| Cladina arbuscula | Reindeer Lichen | G5 | SH | SC | Y | |
| Fuscopannaria leucosticta | Rimmed Shingle Lichen | G3G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Fuscopannaria leucophaea | Rock Shingle Lichen | G5? | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Coccocarpia palmicola | Salted Shell Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Cetraria arenaria | Sand Loving Iceland Lichen | G4 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Peltigera scabrosa | Scabby Pelt | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Collema polycarpon | Shaly Jelly Lichen | GNR | SH | SC | Y | |
| Punctelia caseana | Speckleback Lichen | G5 | S2 | SC | Y | |
| Bryoria nadvornikiana | Spiny Gray Horsehair Lichen | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Melanohalea trabeculata | Trabeculate Brown-shield Lichen | GNR | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Menegazzia terebrata | Treeflute | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Peltigera malacea | Veinless Pelt | G5 | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Usnea ceratina | Warty Beard Lichen | G4G5 | S2 | SC | Y | |
| Leptogium arsenei | Wrinkled Jellyskin | GNR | S1 | SC | Y | |
| Pseudocyphellaria holarctica | Yellow Specklebelly | GNR | S1 | SC | Y |
Rank and status: To learn more about species rank and status, see the working list key. Mapped in NHI: (Natural Heritage Inventory): Y = Observations of these species are mapped into the NHI database.