Lobaria scrobiculata, or textured lungwort, is a foliose lichen with broad, rounded lobes approximately 1 to 5 cm wide. The thallus of L. scrobiculta measures 2 to 10 cm in diameter. The upper surface is yellowish tinged with pale green to olive gray when dry, indicating the presence of usnic acid. When wet, the thallus changes color to a dark gray. The upper surface of the thallus is weakly ridged, forming depressions and is scabrous near the lobe tips. This species is the most common of the genus with cyanobacteria as the primary photobiont. L. scrobiculata has primarily asexual round soralia, producing sexual apthecia only rarely.
The distribution of L. scrobiculata is circumpolar boreal, extending south into Montana and northern California in the northwest region of the United States. Occurances are rare east of the Cascade mountain range, only known populations east of the mountain range are along the Salmon River and in western Montana.
The habitat of L. scrobiculata includes low elevation hardwood forests, swamps and savannas and low to mid elevation old growth coniferous forests. East of the Cascades, occurances are restricted to mossy outcrops sheltered from the weather, near lakes of streams. L. scrobiculata is rarely found on the ground surface and typically uses tree, shrubs and mossy rocks as a substrate.
Identification of L. scrobiculata can be confused with L. hallii though L. scrobiculata does not posess the hairs of the upper surface ofL. hallii.
L. scrobiculata is edible and has been utilized by native peoples of Alaska. In contrast to many other lichens, L. scrobiculata does not necessitate leaching or preparation before being palatable.
Brodo, I.M., S.D. Sharnoff and S. Sharnoff (2001) Lichens of North America. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut.
McCune, B. and L. Geiser (2009) Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, Oregon.