Lettuce Lung, Lobaria Pulmonaria

Day 61: Lettuce Lung (Lobaria pulmonaria) is a habitué of moist forests and cool temperatures. It grows in dense colonies, often intermingling with other species of lichens and mosses. In drier summer months, its vivid chartreuse coloration pales to grey-green and the plant becomes quite leathery.

The name "lungwort" arose from the plant's supposed efficacity in treating respiratory ailments, a practice which came about through the "doctrine of signatures." This old belief stipulates that the medicinal uses of a plant can be determined through the plant's resemblance to an organ of the body. The appearance of Lobaria suggested the human lung, hence its application.