Xanthoparmelia chlorochroa

Xanthoparmelia chlorochroa, known as the tumbleweed shield lichen[1] or ground lichen,[2] is a foliose lichen in the Parmeliaceae family. It is not fixed to a substrate, and blows around in the wind from location to location.[2]

Xanthoparmelia chlorochroa
In Bozeman, Montana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Lecanoromycetes
Order:	Lecanorales
Family:	Parmeliaceae
Genus:	Xanthoparmelia
Species:	X. chlorochroa
Binomial name
Xanthoparmelia chlorochroa (Tuck.) Hale
Synonyms
Parmelia chlorochroa'Tuck.

Distribution and habitat

This lichen is abundant on the High Plains of Wyoming.[3]

Uses

Tumbleweed shield lichen is used as a dye by Navajo rug weavers.[2]

It has been used as a remedy for impetigo by the Navajo.[4]

Toxicity

It was implicated in the poisoning of domestic sheep and cattle in Wyoming during the 1930s.[3][5] It has also been implicated in the poisoning of elk in 2004.[5]

See also

• List of Xanthoparmelia species

References

1. Dailey, Rebecca N.; Montgomery, Donald L.; Ingram, James T.; Siemion, Roger; Raisbeck, Merl F. (November 2008). "Experimental Reproduction of Tumbleweed Shield Lichen ( Xanthoparmelia Chlorochroa ) Poisoning in a Domestic Sheep Model". Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. 20 (6): 760–765. doi:10.1177/104063870802000607. ISSN 1040-6387. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
2. Lichens and People, Sylvia and Stephen Sharnoff
3. Geiser, L, McCune B. (1997). Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. ISBN 0-87071-394-9.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. "Xanthoparmelia chlorochroa". Retrieved 2009-03-23.
5. Cook, Walter E.; Raisbeck, Cornish, Williams, Brown, Hiatt and Kreeger (July 2007). "Paresis and Death in Elk (Cervus elaphus) Due to Lichen Intoxication in Wyoming". Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 43 (3): 498–503. doi:10.7589/0090-3558-43.3.498. PMID 17699088. Retrieved 8 July 2012.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)