A foliated lichen thar grows on the bark of a tree.
The color varies from grey to green. The underside of this
lichen is black.
Hypogymnia physodes
lichen
Lichen can grow on places were the green plants can't survive:
They can be found on the Southpole, in the desert,
and high in the mountains.
symbiotic
Lichen consist of a fungus and an algae, its a symbiotic relation:
The fungus can't survive without the algae, but the alg can live
without the fungus. Most lichen live from the air, they don't
have roots to take up nutrients.
The small roots (rhizines) only function is to attach the lichen
to the substrate. Lichen are very sensitiv for (air)pollution.
