Letharia

Letharia
Letharia vulpina in the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles USA.
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Parmeliaceae
Genus: Letharia
(Th.Fr.) Zahlbr. (1892)
Type species
Letharia vulpina
(L.) Hue (1899)
Synonyms
  • Chlorea Nyl. (1855)
  • Evernia subdiv. Letharia Th.Fr. (1871)
  • Nylanderaria Kuntze (1891)
  • Rhytidocaulon Nyl. ex Elenkin (1916)

Letharia is a genus of fruticose lichens belonging to the family Parmeliaceae.

There were historically two species of Letharia: L. vulpina and L. columbiana. Recent molecular sequence studies published in 2016 confirm at least 6 species in Western North America alone, with more expected to be confirmed using similar methods in other parts of the world.

The typical photobiont is a green alga of genus Trebouxia.