Tree moss

Pseudevernia furfuracea
Tree moss
Photo: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons
Tree moss
Photo: naturalist_ua_97, CC BY, iNaturalist
Tree moss
Photo: Denys Vynokurov, CC BY, iNaturalist

Never identify a mushroom from a photo alone. If in doubt, leave it. In case of poisoning call 112 (103 in Ukraine) at once.

About

Gray "beards" and bushy clumps on the branches of spruces, which tourists call moss, are mostly lichens. One of the most common is Pseudevernia furfuracea. A lichen is not a plant, but a symbiosis of a fungus and a microscopic alga: the fungus forms the body, while the alga feeds it with the products of photosynthesis. In our catalog, we list lichens among fungi.

The body of Pseudevernia furfuracea consists of narrow flat ribbons 3–10 cm long, which fork several times. They are ash-gray on top and covered with small outgrowths, as if sprinkled with flour. The underside is channelled, black in older parts, and whitish or pinkish at the tips. This distinguishes it from the similar Evernia prunastri, which has soft ribbons and a white underside.

In the Carpathians, Pseudevernia furfuracea grows on the bark and branches of spruce, fir, pine, larch, birch, on old wooden fences and roofs — from the foothills to the upper limit of the forest. It covers trees most abundantly in humid mountain forests where fogs often linger. In the Ukrainian Carpathians, this is one of the most frequently observed species by naturalists, which has not yet been included in our catalog.

The lichen does not harm the tree: it merely clings to the bark and takes water and nutrients from the air and rain. It is more abundant on dying branches simply because there is more light there.

The lichen grows slowly — a few millimeters per year. This species is collected industrially in some European countries for perfumery, and it is not suitable for food.

Where in the Carpathians

fewermore176 records in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries
Slovakia · Ukraine · Poland · Romania · Hungary · Czechia
Mountain ranges
Gorgany, Bihor-Vlădeasa Mountains, Low Tatras, Kysuce Beskids, Lesser Fatra, Western Tatras, High Tatras, Maramureș Mountains, Skole Beskids, Babia Góra
Altitude belts
Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m) · Conifer forests (1200–1600 m)

When to see it

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Sightings

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Protection and rules

Not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

FAQ

What is the gray "moss" hanging on spruces in the Carpathians?

Mostly, these are lichens — Pseudevernia furfuracea, Hypogymnia, and Usnea. A lichen is a symbiosis of a fungus and an alga, not a moss.

Do lichens harm trees?

No. They merely attach to the bark and take water and nutrients from the air and precipitation.

Similar species

Tree lungwortRed Data Book of UkraineTree lungwortLobaria pulmonariaA large leafy lichen of old beech forests, resembling lung tissue. A species in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.
Iceland mossIceland mossCetraria islandicaNot a moss, but a lichen: brown and greenish 'bushes' with channelled lobes among grasses and blueberries on the ridges. It grows slowly — do not pick it.
Norway spruceNorway sprucePicea abiesNorway spruce is the main coniferous tree of the Carpathians: a dark sharp crown, prickly needles, and long cones that hang downwards. It grows up to the forest boundary.

Where to meet it

Trails

Trail to the UPA hut museum in Yala tractEasyOne-dayMarkedTrail to the UPA hut museum in Yala tractElevation profile815–969 m1.2 kmascent 154 m≈ 30 min walkingBystrytsia village, via Mount Bratkivska, Okole Pass, the Svydovets ridge, the Apshynets ridge and Dragobrat to YasiniaHardMulti-dayMarkedBystrytsia village to Yasiniavia Mount Bratkivska, Okole Pass +3Elevation profile625–1 788 m54.1 kmascent 2 070 mNo. 5001 Slavske – Mount Ilza – Volosianka villageModerateOne-dayMarkedNo. 5001 Slavske Volosianka villagevia Mount IlzaElevation profile599–1 065 m9.1 kmascent 492 m≈ 3.5 h walkingYasinia, via Dragobrat, Mount Stih, Mount Velykyi Kotel and Chorna Tysa village to YasiniaHardMulti-dayYasinia loopvia Dragobrat, Mount Stih +2Elevation profile625–1 771 m46.2 kmascent 1 512 mBilyn village, via Mount Blyznytsia and Mount Stih to DragobratHardMulti-dayBilyn village to Dragobratvia Mount Blyznytsia, Mount StihElevation profile498–1 785 m26.5 kmascent 1 717 m≈ 10 h walkingBaron's Trail: Deliatyn – Dora villageEasyOne-dayMarkedBaron's Trail: Deliatyn Dora villageElevation profile421–701 m5.3 kmascent 277 m≈ 2 h walking
Chorna Tysa village, via Mount Dohiaska, Mount Troiaska and Mount Tataruka to Chorna Tysa villageHardMulti-dayChorna Tysa village loopvia Mount Dohiaska, Mount Troiaska +1Elevation profile777–1 762 m45.3 kmascent 1 258 m≈ 14 h walkingNo. 505 Kozova village – Tysovets – Rosokhatski polonynyModerateOne-dayMarkedNo. 505 Kozova village Rosokhatski polonynyvia TysovetsElevation profile608–1 177 m14.9 kmascent 329 m≈ 4.5 h walkingProbiinivka village, via Mount Tarnytsia, Mount Pnivie and Mount Chyvchyn to Shybene villageHardMulti-dayProbiinivka village to Shybene villagevia Mount Tarnytsia, Mount Pnivie +1Elevation profile797–1 766 m68.4 kmascent 2 793 mChorna Tysa village, via Dragobrat, Lake Vorozheska, Lake Dohiaska, Lake Apshynets and Mount Stih to Kvasy villageHardMulti-dayChorna Tysa village to Kvasy villagevia Dragobrat, Lake Vorozheska +3Elevation profile631–1 771 m36.6 kmascent 1 728 m≈ 12.5 h walkingBystrytsia village – Mount Hropa – Bystrytsia villageModerateTwo-dayMarkedBystrytsia village loopvia Mount HropaElevation profile867–1 759 m14.9 kmascent 892 m≈ 5.5 h walkingNo. 5011 Slavsko «Where Three Regions Meet»HardTwo-dayMarkedNo. 5011 Slavsko «Where Three Regions Meet»Elevation profile592–1 287 m24.5 kmascent 1 326 m≈ 9 h walking

Mountain ranges: Gorgany, Maramureș Mountains, Skole Beskids. In other countries: 🇷🇴 Bihor-Vlădeasa Mountains, 🇸🇰 Low Tatras, 🇸🇰 Kysuce Beskids, 🇸🇰 Lesser Fatra, 🇸🇰 Western Tatras, 🇸🇰 High Tatras, 🇵🇱 Babia Góra, 🇵🇱 Żywiec Beskids, 🇷🇴 Harghita and Gurghiu Mountains, 🇵🇱 Gorce, 🇷🇴 Cindrel Mountains

Trails and peaks near which naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, iNaturalist), matched by altitude and habitat. Sightings are not guaranteed.

Sources

GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · Distribution data: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY records), iNaturalist; names and identifiers: Wikidata (CC0). Text: Karpaty.rocks, checked 11.11.2026.