Rock tripe is the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

for various

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

such as

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

and the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. They are edible when properly prepared; soaking extensively and boiling with changes of water removes the bitterness and purgative properties. They have been used as a

famine food A famine food or poverty food is any inexpensive or readily available food used to nourish people in times of hunger and starvation, whether caused by extreme poverty, such as during economic depression or war, or by natural disasters such as ...

in extreme cases when other food sources were unavailable, as by early American northern explorers. ''

Umbilicaria esculenta ''Umbilicaria esculenta'' is a lichen of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grows on rocks, also known as rock tripe. It can be found in East Asia including in China, Japan, and Korea. It is edible when properly prepared and has been used as a food ...

'' is commonly used as a food in

Asian cuisine Asian cuisine includes several major regional cuisines: Central Asian, East Asian, North Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and West Asian. A cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, usually associated with ...

and a restorative medicine in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

. It is called ''shi'er'' (石耳 "rock ear") in

Chinese cuisine Chinese cuisine encompasses the numerous cuisines originating from China, as well as overseas cuisines created by the Chinese diaspora. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many ot ...

, ''iwatake'' (岩茸 "rock mushroom") in

Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and other ...

, and ''seogi'' (석이(石耳)) or ''seogibeoseot'' (석이버섯) in

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural envi ...

Species

*''

Umbilicaria americana ''Umbilicaria americana'', commonly known as frosted rock tripe, is a foliose lichen of rock faces. Description ''Umbilicaria americana'' has been described as looking like "grayish-white potato chips." The upper surface is gray with the appeara ...

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Umbilicaria antarctica Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

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Umbilicaria aprina Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England New En ...

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Umbilicaria arctica Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

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Umbilicaria bigleri Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

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Umbilicaria crustulosa ''Umbilicaria crustulosa'', the crusty navel lichen, is a lichen of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' in the family Umbilicariaceae The Umbilicariaceae are a family of lichenized fungi in the Ascomycota. Species of this family are known from a varie ...

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Umbilicaria cylindrica Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

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Umbilicaria daliensis Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

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Umbilicaria decussata Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

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Umbilicaria deusta ''Umbilicaria deusta'', commonly known as peppered rock tripe, is a widely distributed species of saxicolous lichen in the family Umbilicariaceae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work ''Species Plantarum'' as ''Lichen polyphy ...

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Umbilicaria dura Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

'' – North America *''

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Umbilicaria hirsuta Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

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Umbilicaria hispanica Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

'' *'' Umbilicaria hyperborea'' *''

Umbilicaria iberica Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

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Umbilicaria isidiosa Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

'' *'' Umbilicaria maculata'' *''

Umbilicaria mammulata ''Umbilicaria mammulata'', or smooth rock tripe, is a foliose lichen found on boulders and rock walls. Description ''Umbilicaria mammulata'' is among the largest lichens in the world. The thallus of ''U. mammulata'' is usually in diameter, but ...

'' *'' Umbilicaria meizospora'' – Europe *'' Umbilicaria muhlenbergii'' *'' Umbilicaria multistrata'' – North America *'' Umbilicaria murihikuana'' *'' Umbilicaria nodulospora'' *'' Umbilicaria nylanderiana'' *''

Umbilicaria orientalis Rock tripe is the List of common names of lichen genera, common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North Am ...

'' – East Asia *'' Umbilicaria phaea'' *'' Umbilicaria polyphylla'' *'' Umbilicaria polyrrhiza'' *'' Umbilicaria proboscidea'' *'' Umbilicaria propagulifera'' *'' Umbilicaria pulvinaria'' *'' Umbilicaria rhizinata'' *'' Umbilicaria rigida'' *'' Umbilicaria robusta'' *'' Umbilicaria sinorientalis'' *''

Umbilicaria spodochroa Rock tripe is the List of common names of lichen genera, common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North Am ...

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Umbilicaria subglabra Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

'' *'' Umbilicaria torrefacta'' *'' Umbilicaria vellea'' *'' Umbilicaria virginis'' *'' Umbilicaria xizangensis''

Gallery

Image:Korean_pan_fried_mushrooms.jpg, Rock Tripe (

seogi ''Umbilicaria esculenta'' is a lichen of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grows on rocks, also known as rock tripe. It can be found in East Asia including in China, Japan, and Korea. It is edible when properly prepared and has been used as a food ...

) with pine nuts File:Tripes de Roche.jpg, Lichens of the type eaten by John Franklin's men on their journey back from the

Coppermine River The Coppermine River is a river in the North Slave and Kitikmeot regions of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in Canada. It is long. It rises in Lac de Gras, a small lake near Great Slave Lake, and flows generally north to Coronation Gulf, a ...

Image:Hiroshige II - Kishu kumano iwatake tori - Shokoku meisho hyakkei.jpg, ''Kishū kumano iwatake tori'' ("

Iwatake ''Umbilicaria esculenta'' is a lichen of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grows on rocks, also known as rock tripe. It can be found in East Asia including in China, Japan, and Korea. It is edible when properly prepared and has been used as a food ...

mushroom gathering at Kumano in Kishu") by

Hiroshige II was a Japanese designer of ukiyo-e art. He inherited the name Hiroshige II following the death in 1858 of his master Hiroshige, whose daughter he married. In 1865 he moved from Edo to Yokohama after dissolving his marriage and began using ...

Image:Umbilicaria_havaasii_Sotlav.jpg, '' Umbilicaria havaasii''

References

Lichens {{Lecanoromycetes-stub