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Umbilicaria mammulata (Ach.) Tuck.

Smooth rock tripe, navel lichen

KingdomFungiMushrooms, lichens, gel fungi, yeasts, and molds; also called eukaryotes
DivisionAscomycotaSac fungi
SubdivisionPezizomycotinaSac fungi with filaments
ClassLecanoromycetes“Lichenized” fungi
FamilyUmbilicariaceaeThe rock tripes, a family of Asco-lichenes in the order Lecanorales having a large, circular, umbilicate thallus
GenusUmbilicariaAfter “umbilicate,” or having a central depression, like a navel
Speciesmammulata

About plant names...

Smooth rock tripe forms large sheets (rarely, up to 2′ (60 cm) across), like aged curling leather sheets, on cliffs and boulders.

Identification: The sheets are attached at only a single point (hence the genus Umbilicaria). They are reddish- or grayish-brown on top, and velvety black below. The top surface appears greenish when wet. The large size and coloration are unlike other lichens.

Edibility: An hour of boiling is said to convert this leather-like lichen into an edible source of protein, palatable by itself or when added to soup or stews. Soak for 2-3 hours first to remove acids that, while not dangerous, may send you running to the bathroom in a hurry. Even after all this soaking and boiling, you’d better be good and hungry—many say it still tastes like shoe leather.

Online References:

The Mushroom Observer

Stephen Sharnoff Photography

Discover Life

Gigapan.com

References:

Peterson, Lee Allen, Peterson Field Guides: Edible Wild Plants of Eastern/Central North America, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977, p. 236

Walewski, Joe, Lichens of the North Woods, Kollath+Stensaas Publishing, 2007, p. 77

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

4/19/2021 · Center Pond Preserve, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

9/26/2010 · Doane’s Falls, Royalston, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

11/8/2009 · Yellow Trail from Pearl Hill State Park to Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

4/21/2023 · Robert P. Tristram Coffin Wildflower Preserve, Woolwich, Maine

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

7/3/2012 · Yellow Trail from Pearl Hill State Park to Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

5/25/2016 · Andres Art Institute, Big Bear M, Brookline, New Hamp­shire

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

11/8/2009 · Yellow Trail from Pearl Hill State Park to Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

7/3/2012 · Yellow Trail from Pearl Hill State Park to Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

5/17/2021 · Bijhouwer Forest, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

11/8/2009 · Yellow Trail from Pearl Hill State Park to Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 27 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

9/20/2018 · Porcupine Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Gyrophora dillenii (Tuck.) Müll. Arg.

 

Umbilicaria mammulata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 10 Sep 2023.

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Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

4/29/2016 · Andres Art Institute, Big Bear Mountain, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 2 × 1½′ (66 × 44 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

4/11/2021 · Robert P. Tristram Coffin Wild Flower Reservation, Woolwich, Maine · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

4/21/2013 · Crow Hill Trail, Leominster State Forest, Leominster, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

7/23/2023 · The Mountain Trails, The Mountain Preserve, Belgrade Lakes Village, Maine

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

4/11/2021 · Robert P. Tristram Coffin Wild Flower Reservation, Woolwich, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

9/26/2010 · Doane’s Falls, Royalston, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

9/9/2010 · Pine Meadow Conservation Trust Land, Groton Harvard Road, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm) ID is uncertain

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

2/19/2012 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 15 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

9/4/2023 · Thorne Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

4/21/2013 · Crow Hill Trail, Leominster State Forest, Leominster, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

2/19/2012 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm)

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

5/25/2016 · Andres Art Institute, Big Bear M, Brookline, New Hamp­shire

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

The green lichen is Umbilicaria mammulata. The gray warty stuff is Lasallia papulosa. They often occur together. · 7/23/2023 · The Mountain Trails, The Mountain Preserve, Belgrade Lakes Village, Maine

Umbilicaria mammulata (smooth rock tripe, navel lichen)

11/8/2009 · Yellow Trail from Pearl Hill State Park to Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)