The Fascinating World of Lichens
Lichens – these mysterious organisms have fascinated people for years. Not a plant, not a fungus, but a surprisingly elegant combination of the two. Our Secretariat staff spent a day delving into the enchanting world of lichens as we learnt their basic ecology, identification, and natural history during a workshop organized by our initiating Patron Member Dilmah Conservation at the SLFI on 11th March 2015.
“Be a lichen…..lichens break things down and make them better” was an apt takeaway from Prof. Sarath W Kotagama’s address at the book launch of “Fascinating Lichens of Sri Lanka” authored by environmentalist and lichenologist, Dr Gothamie Weerakoon. This latest Dilmah Conservation publication is all about lichens – a simple slow growing micro-organism that can hardly be called a sought after subject. Yet lichens are a cheap measure of city pollution whilst those growing in pristine forests have medicinal value too. Only a few hundred lichens are known to occur in Sri Lanka to-date. But the presence of 3000-4000 varieties are estimated to be present in the country. With more research and field study, Sri Lanka could easily become a lichen hotspot – already a hotspot for the Graphidacea family.
The workshop which followed the book launch gave insights into the “History of Botanical Gardens in Sri Lanka and its Services”. Dr Gothamie Weerakoon and Ms. Pat Wolseley then explained lichen diversity and their role in ecosystems. “Lichen and Chemistry” described the chemistry behind lichens and how they are used to produce new chemicals and drugs for human usage. Mr. Andre Aptroot demonstrated how different types of lichens are identified using various techniques and methods, some of which were demonstrated to the 20 participants from universities and organizations that attended the workshop.
A highlight of the day was learning that a new species of lichen, Heterodermia queensberryi, has been named after Dilmah’s Queensberry Estate in Nawalapitiya, where it was discovered by Dr. Gothamie Weerakoon, with the support of Dilmah Conservation. Thus far, this species has only been observed on smooth tree bark in high mountane forests in Sri Lanka.
