Usnea dasopoga (Ach.) Nyl. = Usnea dasypoga

    Thallus tufted, pendulous, beard-like, made of a few main branches, 10-40 cm long, blackish base sometimes with a few cracks (but not in a ring!), diameter homogenous, and of very abundant secondary branches, resembling to elongate fibrils, 0.5-2 cm long, originating at right angle, and looking like Christmas tinsels, main branches covered with isidia and papillae but without soralifer tubercules but only small soralia, overall colour pale grey, pale gey-greenish, pale yellow-greenish. Apothecia unknown in our prospection area. Photobiont: trebouxioid. Cortex: C-, K-, KC-, P-; medulla: C-, K+ yellow → red, P+ yellow-orange. Species with mountainous and northern tendencies, rare in Brittany and mainly grows on coniferous and birch trees. Critical in Brittany where it probably has been overestimated due to the inappropriate practice of denominating many pendulous and densely tufted usnea with long branches under this name. Most often it may be Usnea ceratina that is very common and has a similar aspect (it is CK+ golden yellow, K- and P-).