dog pelt lichen
Peltigera canina
Its common name and species name 'canina' come from the fang-like structures (rhizines) on its underside. Medieval herbalists believed this resemblance meant the lichen could cure rabies.
- Scientific name
- Peltigera canina
- Taxonomy
- Fungi › Ascomycota › Lecanoromycetes › Peltigerales › Peltigeraceae › Peltigera
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Moist, shaded forest floors, mossy banks, rotting wood, and soil.
- Diet
- Photoautotrophic (produces energy via its symbiotic cyanobacteria through photosynthesis).
- Range
- North America, Europe, Asia
- Size
- Lobes 1 to 3 cm wide, forming expansive mats up to 50 cm in diameter.
- Lifespan
- Decades to over a century
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Air pollution (particularly sulfur dioxide), soil compaction, habitat fragmentation, and intensive logging.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless to touch. Observe this slow-growing organism closely, but avoid stepping on or crushing its fragile thallus, as compacted soil and physical damage can take decades for the colony to recover from. Do not harvest or ingest.
Peltigera canina , commonly known as the dog lichen , is a widely distributed species of foliose lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. It was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum . German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow transferred it to the genus Peltigera in 1787. This species is currently undergoing research as it is likely multiple species under one united name.
Photo: Douglas Goldman, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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