Closed Coniferous Patch: Bryophytes and Lichens

There are no representative species of bryophytes listed for closed coniferous patches.

Speckled Horsehair

This is a dark brown pendent lichen up to 15 cm long with many fine, glossy branches intricately intertwined. Speckled horsehair hangs from conifer branches in open to shady forests. It reproduces from broken branches or when the soredia (asexual reproductive organs) are transported by birds.

Brown-eyed Sunshine

Brown-eyed sunshins is a lemon yellow, wrinkled leaf lichen found draped over branches of conifers, especially pines. The yellow colour is due to the presence of two poisons in the lichen that are thought to be a deterrent to grazing insects.

Wolf Lichen

Wolf lichen is a bright green or sulphur-yellow shrub lichen with angular, pitted branches. It grows in large tufts on conifers and is the dominant lichen species in open Douglas-fir forests.

Want to find out about species at risk in closed coniferous patches?
Go to Species at Risk

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