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  1. DomainEukaryota
    KingdomFungi
    DivisionAscomycota
    How Usnea Can Heal or Harm You
    How Usnea Can Heal or Harm You
    You may have seen it hanging from tree branches like a gray-green beard, but did you know that usnea is more than just a fuzzy ornament? It's a lichen, a living partnership between a fungus and an alga, that has been used for centuries as a natural medicine.
    Systematics

    The genus Usnea was circumscribed by Michel Adanson in 1763. He used the name designated by Johann Jacob Dillenius, whose earlier published description did not meet the rules of valid publication as establishe… See more

    Description

    Usnea lichens are fruticose. Structurally they are shrubby, often with many branches, and can be erect or pendent. Some trailing species can grow to considerable size; strands of Usnea longissima, … See more

    Distribution and habitat

    Usnea lichens are widely distributed in both the northern and southern hemisphere, in both temperate and tropical regions. They show significant diversity, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions, and occupy a variety of … See more

    Ecology

    Usnea lichens reproduce via vegetative means through fragmentation, asexual means through soredia, or sexual means through ascogonium and spermatogonium. The growth rate of lichens in nature is slow, but can be … See more

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