{"id":2643,"date":"2020-01-23T00:02:51","date_gmt":"2020-01-23T08:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/pal-question-434\/"},"modified":"2024-04-20T10:27:51","modified_gmt":"2024-04-20T17:27:51","slug":"lichen-on-trees","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/lichen-on-trees\/","title":{"rendered":"Lichen on trees"},"content":{"rendered":"

My Corylus contorta<\/em> has greenish yellow lichen on the branches. Should I be concerned and if so what should I do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The lichen will not harm your Corylus contorta<\/em>. Lichen is actually a sign that the air is relatively unpolluted.<\/p>\n

You may find this page of discussion<\/a> from University of British Columbia
\nBotanical Gardens of interest.<\/p>\n

Here is an excerpt from a 2007 entry formerly available on the site of Treelink, now part of the Alliance for Community Trees:<\/a><\/p>\n

“No need for a preemptive strike against the lowly lichen. Lichens are
\ncomposite, symbiotic organisms made up from members of as many as three
\nkingdoms.
\nThe dominant partner is a fungus. Fungi are incapable of making their own
\nfood. They usually provide for themselves as parasites or decomposers.
\n“Lichens are fungi that have discovered agriculture”– lichenologist
\nTrevor Goward.<\/p>\n

“The lichen fungi (kingdom Fungi) cultivate partners that manufacture food
\nby photosynthesis. Sometimes the partners are algae (kingdom Protista),
\nother times cyanobacteria (kingdom Monera), formerly called blue-green
\nalgae. Some enterprising fungi exploit both at once.
\nMost lichens grow very, very slowly, often less than a millimeter per
\nyear, and some lichens are thought to be among the oldest living things
\non Earth.<\/p>\n

“Lichens are important in many ways in the habitat. Some make
\nthe nitrogen in the air usable to plants, They are homes for spiders,
\nmites, lice, and other insects. All are important in the nutrient cycle
\nin the places where they grow. Many lichens are very sensitive to
\npollution in the air. When there are too many harmful things in the air,
\nlichens die. If you live where there are many lichens it probably means
\nthe air is clean. But, if there are only a few lichens in your
\nneighborhood, the air you are breathing is probably clogged with
\nautomobile fumes or industrial wastes. Some trees and shrubs can develop
\na layer of fungi, algae, lichens or moss on their bark. These are
\nnon-parasitic organisms and do not injure the plants on which they grow.”<\/p>\n

Corylus<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My Corylus contorta has greenish yellow lichen on the branches. Should I be concerned and if so what should I do? The lichen will not harm your Corylus contorta. Lichen is actually a sign that the air is relatively unpolluted. You may find this page of discussion from University of British Columbia Botanical Gardens of interest. Here is an excerpt from a 2007 entry formerly available on the site of Treelink, now part of the Alliance for Community Trees: “No…<\/p>\n

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