Dean of lichens publishes book on state plants

To his colleagues, John Thomson is the “dean of American lichenology.”

Indeed, Thomson, who published his first paper on lichens — those ubiquitous and colorful composite plants of algae and fungi — in 1934, is recognized as a world authority on Arctic lichens, having mounted no fewer than 14 collecting expeditions across the vast sweep of the North American Arctic.

And now, at age 90 and an emeritus professor of botany, Thomson, who still tends to his life work several days a week in a small corner of Birge Hall, has completed another milestone, a book that documents the lichens of Wisconsin.

“It was a long time in the making, a hobby really,” says Thomson whose new book, aptly titled Lichens of Wisconsin, is now available through its publisher, the Wisconsin State Herbarium. “I’m glad to have the book out and available for people to use.”

The 386-page book is primarily a key, useful for identifying any of the more than 660 known species of lichens found in the state. Each description includes information about habitat, plant structure and characteristics, and even biochemical makeup. There is also a section of distribution maps, showing where in the state each species has been found.

“John’s work is the first time anyone has assembled a baseline lichen flora or compendium for the state,” according to Paul Berry, director of the Wisconsin State Herbarium and professor of botany. “There is full coverage in the book for 615 species of lichens in Wisconsin, but 47 more were found subsequent to John finishing his manuscript, and these are listed in an appendix.”

For those interested in lichens, the value of the new book lies in the basic taxonomic information it provides specifically for Wisconsin lichens.

The book, which sells for $22 plus $8 shipping, can be ordered through the UW-Madison Herbarium, 132 Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706. Ordering information can also be obtained at: http://www.botany.wisc.edu/wisflora/