Golden hair lichen  (Teloschistes flavicans)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Range

At present this lichen is restricted to the Welsh coast and south-west England, but the range once extended into central England and along the coast to Kent. A population also occurred in the Firth of Clyde (3). In Europe, the distribution is Mediterranean-Atlantic, the northern extreme of which is in Anglesey. Elsewhere this lichen becomes widespread in tropical and the warmer temperate areas of the world (3) (5).

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

Habitat

The main habitat of this species in the UK is coastal cliff-tops; it either grows on rock, amongst vegetation, or on stony ground (3). It occasionally occurs inland where it inhabits trunks of trees that are rich in nutrients, typically in parkland, hedgerows and orchards (3).

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