Usnea ceratina Ach.

    Thallus shrubby, highly ramified, more or less erect at first then pendulous and can reach 30-80 cm in length, formed of long relatively rigid branches, of uniform diameter, not narrowed at the base, sometimes with "rings", with fibrils 0.5-1 cm long arranged at right angles and tubercles or whitish warts, which can give rise to soralia, axial cord typically pink (clearly visible in section but this coloring can be very weak or absent in old ispecimens), base not black, pale greenish-gray in dry weather, greenish in humid weather. Extremely rare, sun-shaped apothecia, 1-3 mm in diameter with few radiating cilia, but see: Usnea ceratina forme fertile. Photobiont: trebouxioid. Medulla: C+/- pale yellow (fleeting), K-, KC+/- yellow, CK+ golden yellow to bright orange-yellow (characteristic coloring according to P. CLERC, first add C, then add K), P-, UV+ white. Not a rare species in our prospecting area, growing high on the bark of trunks or large high branches (canopy) of old trees. Sometimes forms large hanging tufts which can be confused with Usnea dasypoga / filipendula but the latter species is K+ yellow then red and P+ orange and also with Usnea articulata which shares the same habitat and which when young does not yet have its characteristic appearance in " sausage-like".

_ This species can be spotted from afar in the canopy due to its very large size but it can only be easily harvested from felled trees or from fallen branches after storms.