Lecidea atrobrunnea

Lecidea atrobrunnea is a group of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. Previously though to represent a single, widely distributed crustose lichen, recent research has shown that the name represents many unique lineages of morphologically and chemically variable lichen-forming fungi that have not yet been precisely characterized. Members of this group are most diverse in mountains of the continental western United States and Alaska. With other lichen communities, it forms dark vertical drip-like stripings along drainage tracks in the rock faces, resulting in Native Americans giving the name "Face of a Young Woman Stained with Tears" to Half Dome.: 8  This combined lichen community appears black from a distance, but brown up close.: 8  It varies greatly in its overall appearance from colony to colony. L atrobrunnea subsp. atrobrunnea has been found to be common in very common in high montane zones and alpine zones. L atrobrunnea subsp. saxosa ("saxosa" meaning "rock") has bee......read more on Wikipedia.