(info3 at lgberry dot com dot cn ) Usnea is not a plant but rather a fruticose lichen combination of
two kinds of organisms, fungus and alga, growing in a symbiotic
union. Some Usnea species reproduce by soredia, whereby a moldlike
fungus captures and entraps microscopic green algae, resulting in a
new stable thallus of a specific structure with no resemblance to
its fungal or algal antecedents. Usnea has vague species limits
with considerable morphological variation within single
populations, making species identification difficult or even
impossible. It grows on the bark and wood of coniferous (e.g.,
Douglas fir and ponderosa pine) and deciduous hardwood (e.g., oak,
and apple and other fruit trees) host trees in orchards and damp
forests throughout the northern hemisphere in Asia, Europe, and
North America (Hale and Cole, 1988; Hobbs, 1986; Kjeldsen, 1997). Tel: 86-452-6101888 Fax: 86-452-6188377 our mail box is info3 at lgberry dot com dot cn Email: info3@lgberry.com.cn Web: www.lgberry.com.