# Boreal Oakmoss

*Evernia mesomorpha*

Despite its name, Boreal Oakmoss is not a moss, but a complex symbiotic partnership between a fungus and a green alga.

- **Taxonomy:** Fungi › Ascomycota › Lecanoromycetes › Lecanorales › Parmeliaceae › Evernia
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Boreal coniferous forests, primarily growing on the bark and twigs of spruce, pine, and fir trees.
- **Diet:** Self-nourishing via photosynthesis by its symbiotic algal partner, supplemented by absorbing water and minerals from the air.
- **Range:** North American Boreal Forest, Northern Europe, Siberia, Hokkaido, Japan
- **Size:** Bushy tufts spanning 3 to 10 cm in length
- **Lifespan:** 30 to 80 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Air pollution (particularly sulfur dioxide), habitat loss from clear-cutting, and severe forest fires.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. You can safely touch this soft, bushy lichen, but avoid pulling it off tree bark as it grows extremely slowly. It is highly sensitive to air pollution; its presence indicates excellent local air quality.

## About

Evernia mesomorpha is a species of lichen belonging to the family Parmeliaceae.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/bf6f4c24-36df-4a1a-acc4-0fe03204470f
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/182670
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evernia mesomorpha
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/23562586/medium.jpg (aarongunnar, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.