Varied Rag Lichen

Platismatia glauca (L.) W.L.Culb. & C.F.Culb.

Also called: Ragbag, Varied Rag Lichen, Ragbag, ragged lichen

Edibility

Edibility unknown — do not eat

Never eat a wild mushroom based on this site or any app.

Photos

Photo: Simone Littledale. CC-BY. Source (inaturalist)
Photo: Simone Littledale. CC-BY. Source (inaturalist)
Photo: Randal. CC0. Source (inaturalist)
Photo: Therese Phillips. CC-BY. Source (inaturalist)

Lookalikes

No lookalikes are recorded for this species yet. That does not mean there are none. Many mushrooms look alike, so never rely on appearance alone.

Season

When this species has been recorded, by month, from open-licensed US and Canada observations. It shows when people report it, not a guarantee it is fruiting.

The highlighted bar is the current month.

View season data as a table

Recorded observations of Varied Rag Lichen by month
Month	Records
January	199
February	186
March	236
April	245
May	439
June	609
July	877
August	883
September	481
October	407
November	132
December	133

Where it is found

States and provinces with the most records. Check the foraging rules for the place you plan to visit.

British Columbia 1,788 records · Foraging rules
Washington 855 records · Foraging rules
Oregon 531 records · Foraging rules
Alaska 317 records · Foraging rules
Maine 225 records · Foraging rules
Quebec 176 records · Foraging rules
Nova Scotia 148 records · Foraging rules
Newfoundland and Labrador 126 records · Foraging rules
California 108 records · Foraging rules
New Brunswick 84 records · Foraging rules
Idaho 80 records · Foraging rules
New Hampshire 80 records · Foraging rules
Alberta 57 records · Foraging rules
Montana 49 records · Foraging rules
Ontario 48 records · Foraging rules

Show 18 more

Vermont48 records
New York41 records
Michigan39 records
North Carolina38 records
Colorado27 records
Tennessee17 records
Northwest Territories8 records
Prince Edward Island8 records
Massachusetts7 records
Nunavut6 records
Wyoming5 records
South Dakota4 records
Pennsylvania4 records
Maryland3 records
West Virginia2 records
Minnesota2 records
Manitoba2 records
Georgia2 records

All state and province foraging laws

About

Platismatia glauca is a common and widespread species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. This distinctive lichen forms pale to dull grey patches measuring 1–15 centimetres across, with wavy, irregularly indented lobes that often have reproductive structures (apothecia) along their upturned margins. The species is known for its adaptability to varying nitrogen levels in the environment and contains several unique secondary metabolites that have been subjects of scientific research. In 2024, scientists completed a high-quality genome sequence of P. glauca as part of the Darwin Tree of Life Project, providing valuable resources for future studies of this widely distributed lichen that can be found throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the original article.