Peltigera cinnamomea

Peltigera cinnamomea, commonly known as the cinnamon-pelt lichen, is a muscicolous (moss-dwelling), leafy lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. The Canadian lichenologist Trevor Goward formally described the species in 1995. The lichen is found in northwestern North America's forested regions, particularly in the unique montane and subalpine forest communities of the northern Rocky Mountains. Peltigera cinnamomea grows under prolonged snow cover, surviving well into spring. This trait distinguishes it from many other Peltigera species in similar North American forest ecosystems. Peltigera cinnamomea forms a specialised symbiotic relationship with specific strains of the cyanobacterium Nostoc, enabling it to fix atmospheric nitrogen, crucial for survival in nutrient-poor environments. This lichen is part of the broadly defined species complex centred around the widely distributed Peltigera canina. Within this complex, P. cinnamomea falls under the CICADE group, indicating a preference for......read more on Wikipedia.