Field Guide

Mosses, Liverworts, and Lichens

Showing 1 - 10 of 16 results
Beard lichen (Usnea lichen) on a branch
Beard Lichens (Usnea Lichens)
Usnea spp.
Beard lichens are shrubby, branching, hairy-looking lichens that grow in tufts from a single point on tree branches. They are grayish green, and the branches are round in cross-section.
Gold-eye lichen (Teloschistes chrysopthalmus), surrounded by star rosette lichens on a tree
Gold-Eye Lichen
Teloschistes chrysopthalmus
Gold-eye lichen is quite small but easy to identify. It grows on twigs and small branches. It is shrubby with yellowish branching stalks. The apothecia disks are bright orange and have spiny-looking appendages around the rim.
Sinewed ramalina, or American cartilage lichen (Ramalina americana), growing on a tree trunk
Twig Lichens (Ramalina Lichens)
Ramalina spp.
Twig lichens, or ramalina lichens, are branching, shrubby lichens that grow in tufts from a single point. They are grayish green, and the branches are distinctively flattened.
Closeup of thallus lobe of snakeskin liverwort
Liverworts
About 112 species in Missouri
Liverworts, along with mosses, make forest floors, streamsides, and spring openings beautiful. They’re fascinating but overlooked.
Colony of umbrella liverwort with maturing archegonia
Umbrella Liverwort
Marchantia polymorpha
Umbrella liverwort is the most famous liverwort in the world. It grows in green ribbons and is very common on the soil of potted plants. It typically forms cuplike gemmae on its upper surface. Its palm-tree-shaped archegona are distinctive, too.
Ruffle lichen growing on a tree trunk, showing upraised thallus lobes and hairlike marginal cilia
Ruffle Lichens (Parmotrema Lichens)
Parmotrema spp.
Ruffle lichens are rather large, broad-lobed foliose lichens that are loosely attached to the substrate. The rounded edges of the lobes usually lift up and look ruffled. Hairlike cilia arise from the lobe edges. They usually grow on tree bark.
Star rosette lichen (Physcia stellaris) growing with firedot lichen (Caloplaca sp.) on tree bark at Runge CA
Star Rosette Lichen
Physcia stellaris
The star rosette lichen is a super common, small foliose lichen that most often grows on trees, including trunks, limbs, and twigs. The pale gray thallus has branching, petal-like lobes. The center of the rosette is almost always crowded with apothecia cups with black or dark gray centers.
Candleflame lichen (Candelaria concolor) on tree bark
Candleflame Lichens (Candelaria Lichens)
Candelaria spp.
Candleflame lichens (Candelaria spp.) are tiny to small, greenish-yellow foliose lichens that grow in a branching, rosette form. Missouri species typically live on tree trunks.
Orange sunburst lichen (Xanthoria sp.) growing on tombstone, closeup showing rosette growth pattern
Orange Sunburst Lichens (Xanthoria Lichens)
Xanthoria spp. (also Xanthomendoza; Polycauliona)
Orange sunburst lichens are orange or yellow orange. They have a circular, foliose growth pattern with tiny, branching lobes, but this pattern is often lost when these lichens form masses of tiny scale-like fragments. They can be very common on sunny rocks and tombstones.
Yellow cobblestone lichen (Acarospora contigua) on a rock
Cobblestone Lichens (Acarospora Lichens)
Acarospora spp.
Cobblestone lichens , or cracked lichens, grow flat against their substrate and are textured like lumpy cobblestone streets or old, cracked paint, or they are broken into sections like the mud of a dried lake. Depending on species, the color can range from white to greenish gray to brown to bright yellow.
See Also

About Mosses, Liverworts, and Lichens in Missouri

Mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens seem rather similar, but these organisms are in very different groups. Mosses, liverworts, and hornworts are small, low plants usually found in damp habitats. Unlike more familiar plants, they lack veinlike structures and do not produce flowers or seeds — instead, they produce spores. Meanwhile, lichens are not plants at all: they are a collection of different fungi that have photosynthetic algae living within their tissues.