Lichens

Lichen names are short and their difficulty is loaded at the front. Cladonia begins with a k sound written c. Pseudevernia begins with a p that has not been pronounced in English for centuries. Hypogymnia begins with a y that is said like the word high.

A first letter you cannot hear is the worst kind for searching, because it decides where the word sits in an index and what a search engine matches. The pages below take one heard spelling at a time and say which convention put the silent letter there.

Names in this group

cladonia

Said kla-DOH-nee-uh. Cladonia rangiferina.

A large genus of ground-dwelling lichens that grow as grey or green branching stalks, often forming deep springy mats on heath, dune and bog.

8 heard spellings on file, among them an unstressed vowel blurring, c holding its k sound and a doubled consonant under the stress.

hypogymnia

Said hy-poh-JIM-nee-uh. Hypogymnia physodes.

A genus of leafy lichens with inflated, hollow lobes and a smooth black underside, common on trees, wood and rock.

12 heard spellings on file, among them g going soft before a front vowel, y standing in for i and two sound decisions at once.

pseudevernia

Said soo-de-VER-nee-uh. Pseudevernia furfuracea.

A genus of shrubby grey lichens growing on bark and twigs, with flat forking lobes, white above and dark beneath.

9 heard spellings on file, among them two sound decisions at once, an unstressed vowel blurring and a Latin or Greek vowel pair.

Also here: Mosses, Liverworts and hornworts.