Beard lichen or Usnea

Notably white forms of Usnea species or beard lichen contrast against the yellower to greener ones commonly seen. The photo was taken at Nature’s Valley during May.

These lichens resemble tree mosses but are not real mosses, being composed of paired, symbiotic fungus and alga species.

Usnea barbata or old-man’s-beard has been used as a hair growth stimulant more than 2000 years ago, possibly in accordance with the Doctrine of Signatures started by Dioscorides, who selected plant parts that resembled the human condition or body part in its treatment.

Hanging moss or U. longissima resembles grey threads up to 1,5 m long, hanging from tree branches in humid, montane areas (www.britannica.com; www.woodlandtrust.org.uk; www.fs.fed.us; Wikipedia).