usnea

[ uhs-nee-uh ]

noun

any pale-green or gray, mosslike lichen of the genus Usnea, common on rocks and trees.

Origin of usnea

1590–1600; <New Latin, Medieval Latin <Arabic or Persian ushnah

We camped in a boggy hollow on a bluff among scraggy, usnea-bearded spruces.
Travels in Alaska | John Muir
usnea barbata is collected from trees in Pennsylvania, and used for an orange colour for yarn.
Vegetable Dyes | Ethel M. Mairet
It resembles carbonized horse hair and was called "horse hair usnea" by old Dillenius.
Synopsis of Some Genera of the Large Pyrenomycetes | C. G. Lloyd
The larger ones covered with lichens,—often hung with the long gray usnea.
Cape Cod | Henry D. Thoreau
It was in a section of Mississippi where there was no usnea growing within 60 miles.
Life Histories of North American Wood Warblers Part One and Part Two | Arthur Bent

Browse