Lungwort lichens (Lobaria spp.)

What do lungwort lichens look like?

Lichens are organisms formed by the symbiosis of a fungus species and one or more other organisms, typically an alga.

Lungworts are known as foliose (leafy) lichens, and are often bright, lush and green when wet. When healthy they can grow to impressive sizes.

Tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) is formed from a fungus and two algae – a green and a blue-green. 

Not to be confused with: similar foliose lichens growing on trees in old woodlands, including dog lichens (Peltigera species) and stinky (Sticta species). Lungworts differ from Sticta lichens because they lack perforations on the lower surface, and are usually browner.

Where to find lungwort lichens

Lungwort lichens are now only found in old woods and trees in the far west of the UK. 

Lobaria pulmonaria once grew on mature oaks, ash, elms and other trees throughout the UK, but its range is now restricted to the Scottish Highlands, with scattered outposts in North Wales, Pembrokeshire, Dartmoor and the New Forest. In some of these sites it is rarely fertile (producing fruit bodies), and so its reproduction is limited.

All lungworts have declined seriously in the past century, but Lobaria scrobiculata has possibly declined the most due to environmental changes; it's now extinct across most of central and southern Europe.

Uses of lungwort lichens

Tree lungwort resembles the tissue inside lungs and was therefore thought to be a remedy for lung diseases.

In traditional medicine it is, or has been, used to treat a variety of conditions throughout its range. In India it is used in traditional medicine to treat haemorrhages and eczema. In British Columbia, Canada, the Hesquiaht use it as a remedy for coughing up blood. In the high Molise region in Italy it is used as an antiseptic for wounds.

Lungworts have also been used to produce an orange dye for wool and leather, and to make perfumes and beer.