Navel Lichen

“Rock tripe”, genusUmbilicaria, is an edible lichen. There are 65 species of rock tripe, found in rocky or mountainous environments worldwide, especially where other organisms are scarce. The common rock tripe, scientific nameUmbilicaria mammulata, grows on shaded rocks in the forests of eastern North America. The genus name Umbilicaria refers to the lichen’s single attachment point in the middle, like a navel. The species name mammulata, literally means small breasted but is more accurately translated as bumpy, describing the papillae or bumps on the black lower side of the lichen. The common name in French is “tripe-de-roche”, the exact translation of the English. It was eaten as survival food by French Canadian settlers, and traditionally boiled in soups by the Cree and other Native Canadians.

Most of us walk past lichen-covered rocks, splotched with grays, greens, and golds, without giving them a closer look. Ari Daniel Shapiro visits with mycologist Anne Pringle and graudate student Benjamin Wolfe to learn about these amazing symbiotic organisms, formed when a fungus partners with an algae. Each lichen can host an entire microcosm, a microbial landscape teeming with life. These worlds-within-worlds are proving an invaluable tool for scientists studying our changing landscapes.

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