Wild Icelandic Vegetation II

Common orange lichen (Xanthoria parietina) is a common lichen in places where maritime climate is prevalent in Iceland. It is widespread in the South and West of Iceland, growing on rocks, concrete walls and sometimes tree trunks. In bird cliffs the lichen can cover whole rock faces. It is quite big, often 6-10 cm in diameter and best distinguished from other lichens by distinctively leafy edges which can easily be pried loose from the underlay. It is very rare in the north of Iceland.

Bullseye lichen (Placopsis gelida) is a common lichen all over the country. It lives in close proximity with green algae. Bullseye lichen was one of the first three lichens to be found in Surtsey after the island formed in 1963. It is common where humid marine climate prevails but rarely found in the country’s northern interior where the climate is more continental. It is found at high altitudes where foggy weather is more common than in the lowlands. The bullseye lichen grows on stones, both basalt and tuff, and often on pebbles lying on the ground.