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Lepraria finkii

(B. de Lesd.) R. C. Harris

Fluffy Dust Lichen

G5Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.124404
Element CodeNLT0016440
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryFungus
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomFungi
PhylumAscomycota
ClassLecanoromycetes
OrderLecanorales
FamilyStereocaulaceae
GenusLepraria
Synonyms
Lepraria lobificansNyl.
Concept Reference
Esslinger, T.L. and R.S. Egan. 1995. A sixth checklist of the lichen-forming, lichenicolous, and allied fungi of the continental United States and Canada. The Bryologist 98(4):467-549. As supplied by USDA, NRCS from The PLANTS database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA. Version: November 19, 1997.
Taxonomic Comments
Esslinger (2014) recognizes Lepraria lobificans as L. finkii.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2015-10-02
Change Date2015-10-02
Edition Date2025-12-17
Edition AuthorsJ.L. Allen (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Lepraria finkii is a leprose, green-algal lichen that occurs in diverse habitats throughout much of North America and has been documented from nearly every other continent. Because of its widespread distribution, abundance, and the lack of documented threats, it is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Lepraria finkii is common throughout temperate, boreal, and arctic regions of North America and occurs from Alaska to Nunavut, Quebec to Florida, and California north throughout West Coast states, provinces, and territories (Lendemer 2013, GBIF 2025, CLH 2025). This species has been reported from nearly every continent on the planet (GBIF 2025, CLH 2025). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens collected between 1965 and 2025 (Lendemer 2013, GBIF 2025, RARECAT 2025).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records documented between 1965 and 2025, it is estimated that there are >300 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, RARECAT 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Lepraria finkii is potentially threatened by development, logging, gas and oil extraction, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and affinity for typically abundant habitats.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Lepraria finkii occurs in a diversity of habitats throughout North America from the tundra to montane habitats and wet to mesic forests to arid shrub-steppe and grasslands where it grows on a wide variety of substrates including soil, organic matter, rock, and bark (Lendemer 2013, GBIF 2025). It is, however, less frequent in arid and very cold regions. Notably, it does cope well with urban environments (e.g., it is reported from every borough of New York City) and does grow on calcareous substrates, a rare trait in this genus (Lendemer 2013).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - HardwoodForest - ConiferForest - MixedForest EdgeWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralGrassland/herbaceousOld fieldAlpineTundraBare rock/talus/screeCliffSuburban/orchardUrban/edificarian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
Island of NewfoundlandSNRYes
OntarioS5Yes
QuebecSNRYes
AlbertaS2Yes
Yukon TerritorySUYes
ManitobaS3Yes
British ColumbiaSUYes
Prince Edward IslandSUYes
NunavutSUYes
New BrunswickS5Yes
Nova ScotiaS5Yes
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
MontanaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
North CarolinaSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
WyomingSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownUnknown
3 - Energy production & miningUnknownUnknownUnknown
3.1 - Oil & gas drillingUnknownUnknownUnknown
5 - Biological resource useUnknownUnknownUnknown
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (5)
Minnesota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Cabin CreekSuperior National Forest6,071
Pennsylvania (2)
AreaForestAcres
Allegheny FrontAllegheny National Forest7,430
Tracy RidgeAllegheny National Forest9,034
Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
The PriestGeorge Washington National Forest5,737
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
North Mountain HopevilleMonongahela National Forest6,525
References (9)
  1. Consortium of Lichen Herbaria. 2025. https://lichenportal.org/portal/index.php (accessed 2025).
  2. Esslinger, T. L. 2014. A cumulative checklist for the lichen-forming, lichenicolous and allied fungi of the continental United States and Canada. North Dakota State University: http://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~esslinge/chcklst/chcklst7.htm (First Posted 1 December 1997, Most Recent Version (#19) 23 March 2014), Fargo, North Dakota.
  3. Esslinger, T. L. 2018. A cumulative checklist for the lichen-forming, lichenicolous and allied fungi of the continental United States and Canada, Version 22. Opuscula Philolichenum 17:6-268. [http://sweetgum.nybg.org/philolichenum/]
  4. Esslinger, T.L. and R.S. Egan. 1995. A sixth checklist of the lichen-forming, lichenicolous, and allied fungi of the continental United States and Canada. The Bryologist 98(4):467-549. As supplied by USDA, NRCS from The PLANTS database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA. Version: November 19, 1997.
  5. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  6. Hutten, M., U. Arup, O. Breuss, T. L. Esslinger, A. M. Fryday, K. Knudsen, J. C. Lendemer, C. Printzen, H. T. Root, M. Schultz, J. Sheard, T. Tønsberg, and B. McCune. 2013. Lichens and Lichenicolous Fungi of Yosemite National Park, California. North American Fungi 8(11): 1-47. doi: http://dx.doi:10.2509/naf2013.008.011
  7. Knudsen, K., and J. Kocourková. 2012. The Annotated Checklist of Lichens, Lichenicolous and Allied Fungi of Channel Islands National Park. Opuscula Philolichenum 11:145-302.
  8. Lendemer, J.C. 2013. A monograph of the crustose members of the genus <i>Lepraria</i> Ach. s. str. (Stereocaulaceae, Lichenized Ascomycetes) in North America north of Mexico. Opuscula Philolichenum 12(1): 27-141.
  9. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>