Nodobryoria is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of medium to large, reddish-brown lichen

Lichen

Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...

s that are hair-like to shrubby in shape and grow on conifer trees. The genus contains three species, distributed in North America and Greenland

Greenland

Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...

, which were previously included in the genus Bryoria

Bryoria

Bryoria is a genus of lichenized fungi within the Parmeliaceae family. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in boreal and cool temperate areas, and contains 51 species.-Species:*Bryoria bicolor*Bryoria capillaris...

. Nodobryoria is similar in appearance to Bryoria, but is differentiated because it does not contain the polysaccharide lichenin

Lichenin

Lichenin, also known as lichenan or moss starch, is a complex glucan occurring in certain species of lichens. It can be extracted from Cetraria islandica . It has been studied since about 1957...

(which is present in high quantities in Bryoria), and it has a unique cortex composed of interlocking cells that look like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle when viewed under a light microscope.

External links

• Picture of Nodobryoria abbreviata by Stephen Sharnoff
• Picture of Nodobryoria oregana by Stephen Sharnoff