''Protousnea'' is a genus of

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.ascomycete Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The defi ...

s in the large family Parmeliaceae. It contains two accepted species. ''Protousnea'' species have a fruticose growth form, similar to

beard lichen ''Usnea'' is a genus of mostly pale grayish-green fruticose lichens that grow like leafless mini-shrubs or tassels anchored on bark or twigs.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, The genus is in the f ...

s (genus ''Usnea''). The genus is endemic to southern South America. The genus was

circumscribed In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius. Not every polyg ...

in 1976 by Hildur Krog as a segregate genus from ''

Usnea ''Usnea'' is a genus of mostly pale grayish-green fruticose lichens that grow like leafless mini-shrubs or tassels anchored on bark or twigs.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, The genus is in the f ...

''.

Species

*''

Protousnea fibrillatae ''Protousnea'' is a genus of lichenised ascomycetes in the large family Parmeliaceae. It contains two accepted species. ''Protousnea'' species have a fruticose growth form, similar to beard lichens (genus ''Usnea''). The genus is endemic to s ...

'' *'' Protousnea magellanica''

References

Parmeliaceae Lichen genera Lecanorales genera Taxa described in 1936 {{Parmeliaceae-stub