Lace lichen (Ramalina menziesii) also called fishnet lichen; official state symbol of California. Photo by scotpeden / Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution/no derivative works).
Official State Lichen of California
California designated lace lichen (Ramalina menziesii) as the official state lichen in 2015. California is the first state to adopt a lichen as a state symbol. All State Plants
Lace lichen is a particularly beautiful lichen that grows along the California coastline and up to 130 miles inland. Also called fishnet lichen, lace lichen is unique and easy to identify among over 1,900 species of lichens that grow in California.
Lichens play an important role in the natural environment; in addition to providing food and nesting material for wildlife, they help to stabilize desert soils and some have medicinal properties.
Excerpt from Assembly Bill No. 1528
CHAPTER 113
[ Approved by Governor July 15, 2015 ]
Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Lichens are unique organisms that consist of a fungus and an alga living together in a symbiotic relationship.
(b) Lichens are important for both wildlife and people. They are used as a food source by a variety of animals. Many lichens have antibacterial properties and have been used medicinally for thousands of years.
(c) Lichens are known for their sensitivity to environmental stressors and are used as biological indicators of air quality and climate change around the world, including in California, which is home to more than 1,900 species of lichens.
(d) Ramalina menziesii, commonly known as lace lichen, is a common lichen found throughout much of California from the northern to the southern border of the state, and as far as 130 miles inland from the coast. Naming Ramalina menziesii as the official state lichen of California will help promote appreciation, education, and study of lichens in this state.
SEC. 2. Section 424.6 is added to the Government Code, to read:
424.6. Lace lichen (Ramalina menziesii) is the official state lichen.
