The Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus described 110 lichen species in his various works between 1753 and 1774, chiefly in the first (1753) and second (1763) editions of Species Plantarum, and in later works such as Systema Naturae and Mantissa plantarum. Although Linnaeus showed much less interest in lichens than in flowering plants, he recognized their ecological role as pioneer organisms in primary ecological successions. Contrary to popular belief, he never referred to lichens as the ("the poorest peasants") or "poor trash of nature": that phrase was introduced by Georg Franz Hoffmann in 1787 and later misattributed to Linnaeus himself.

Of the roughly 2,000 lichen species now known from northern Europe, Linnaeus recognized only about 5% in his treatments. Most of his lichen names were based on material from northern Europe, especially Sweden, with only a handful of species described from specimens collected outside Europe. His lichen accounts were usually brief, consisting of short with few details of morphology, variation or ecology when judged against modern species descriptions. Even so, the Linnaean Herbarium at the Linnean Society of London contains 324 sheets with lichens and lichen-like organisms, although not all of these represent original material available to him at the time of publication.

Many of Linnaeus's lichen names are still in use today, though now placed in genera that did not exist in his time, and his species serve as the types for several important lichen genera including Cladonia, Lecidea, Lobaria, Parmelia, Peltigera, Ramalina and Usnea. At the same time, some of his species concepts were broad by modern standards. For example, his Lichen subfuscus and Lichen geographicus each correspond to species complexes that are now divided into several segregate taxa on morphological and molecular grounds. Other Linnaean names have been formally rejected or conserved with different types to preserve prevailing usage and stabilize nomenclature.

The typification and interpretation of Linnaean lichen names has therefore required sustained effort by lichenologists, involving critical study of his specimens, publications and other historical sources to determine the correct application of each name under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. This list assembles all 110 Linnaean names that Linnaeus intended for lichens in the modern sense, regardless of their present status. For each original Linnaean name (the basionym), it records the original year of publication, the current taxonomic status or accepted name, and the year in which the present combination was published. In the "Basionym" column, author citations are omitted because all names in the list were originally published by Linnaeus (abbreviated "L."). The treatment largely follows the typifications and interpretations of Per Magnus Jørgensen, Peter Wilfred James and Charles Edward Jarvis published in 1994, supplemented by later taxonomic revisions and by current usage in major nomenclatural databases such as MycoBank and Index Fungorum.

+ Lichen taxa described by Carl Linnaeus and their current names Basionym Year of publication Current name / status Authority Year of recombination ImageByssus botryoides 1753 Lichenomphalia umbellifera 2008 Byssus candelaris 1753 Chrysothrix candelaris 1981 Byssus incana 1753 Lepraria incana 1803 Byssus lacteus 1753 Nom. rej. N/A N/A N/ALichen ampullaceus 1753 Parmelia omphalodes 1803 N/ALichen aphtosus 1753 Peltigera aphthosa 1787 Lichen aquaticus 1753 Dermatocarpon luridum 1984 Lichen arcticus 1753 Nephroma arcticum 1843 Lichen articulatus 1753 Usnea articulata 1796 Lichen atro-albus 1753 Nom. rej. N/A N/A N/ALichen atro-virens 1753 Nom. rej. N/A N/A N/ALichen barbatus 1753 Usnea barbata 1780 Lichen burgessii 1774 Leptogium burgessii 1840 Lichen byssoides 1767 Baeomyces rufus 1802 Lichen calcareus 1753 Circinaria calcarea 2010 Lichen calicaris 1753 Ramalina calicaris 1813 Lichen candelarius 1753 Polycauliona candelaria 2013 Lichen caninus 1753 Peltigera canina 1787 Lichen caperatus 1753 Flavoparmelia caperata 1986 Lichen carpineus 1753 Glaucomaria carpinea 2019 Lichen centrifugus 1753 Arctoparmelia centrifuga 1986 Lichen chalybeiformis 1753 Bryoria capillaris 1977 Lichen chrysophthalmus 1771 Teloschistes chrysophthalmus 1861 Lichen ciliaris 1753 Anaptychia ciliaris 1853 Lichen cinereus 1767 Aspicilia cinerea 1855 Lichen cocciferus 1753 Cladonia coccifera 1787 Lichen corallinus 1767 Lepra corallina 2016 Lichen cornucopioides 1753 Nom. rej. N/A N/A N/ALichen cornutus 1753 Cladonia cornuta 1791 Lichen cristatus 1753 Lathagrium cristatum 2014 Lichen crocatus 1771 Pseudocyphellaria crocata 1898 Lichen croceus 1753 Solorina crocea 1808 Lichen cylindricus 1753 Umbilicaria cylindrica 1830 Lichen deformis 1753 Cladonia deformis 1796 Lichen deustus 1753 Umbilicaria deusta 1790 Lichen digitatus 1753 Cladonia digitata 1796 Lichen divaricatus 1767 Evernia divaricata 1810 Lichen ericetorum 1753 Icmadophila ericetorum 1895 Lichen fagineus 1753 Lepra amara 2016 Lichen fahlunensis 1753 Nom. rej. N/A N/A N/ALichen farinaceus 1753 Ramalina farinacea 1810 Lichen fascicularis 1767 Gabura fascicularis 2013 Lichen fimbriatus 1753 Cladonia fimbriata 1831 Lichen floridus 1753 Usnea florida 1780 Lichen fragilis 1753 Sphaerophorus fragilis 1794 Lichen fraxineus 1753 Ramalina fraxinea 1810 Lichen fuciformis 1753 Roccella fuciformis 1805 Lichen furfuraceus 1753 Pseudevernia furfuracea var. furfuracea 1903 Lichen fusco-ater 1753 Lecidea fuscoatra 1803 Lichen gelidus 1767 Placopsis gelida 1866 Lichen geographicus 1753 Rhizocarpon geographicum 1805 Lichen glaucus 1753 Platismatia glauca 1968 Lichen globiferus 1767 Sphaerophorus globosus 1903 Lichen gracilis 1753 Cladonia gracilis 1787 Lichen hirtus 1753 Usnea hirta 1780 Lichen islandicus 1753 Cetraria islandica subsp. islandica 1803 Lichen islandicus var. tenuissimus 1753 Cetraria aculeata 1826 Lichen jubatus 1753 Nom. rej. N/A N/A N/ALichen juniperinus 1753 Vulpicida juniperinus 1993 Lichen lacteus 1767 Varicellaria lactea 2012 Lichen lanatus 1753 Ephebe lanata 1888 Lichen leucomelos 1763 Leucodermia leucomelos 2015 Lichen miniatus 1753 Dermatocarpon miniatum var. miniatum 1825 Lichen nivalis 1753 Nephromopsis nivalis 2017 Lichen olivaceus 1753 Melanohalea olivacea 2004 Lichen omphalodes 1753 Parmelia omphalodes 1803 Lichen pallescens 1753 Ochrolechia pallescens 1853 Lichen parellus 1767 Ochrolechia parella f. parella 1852 Lichen parietinus 1753 Xanthoria parietina var. parietina 1860 Lichen paschalis 1753 Stereocaulon paschale 1796 Lichen pertusus Nom. cons. prop. 1767 Pertusaria pertusa 1845 Lichen physodes 1753 Hypogymnia physodes 1896 Lichen plicatus 1753 Nom. rej. N/A N/A N/ALichen polyphyllus 1753 Umbilicaria polyphylla 1790 Lichen polyrhizos 1753 Umbilicaria polyrrhiza 1825 Lichen proboscideus 1753 Umbilicaria proboscidea 1794 Lichen prunastri 1753 Evernia prunastri 1810 Lichen pubescens 1753 Pseudephebe pubescens 1930 Lichen pulmonarius 1753 Lobaria pulmonaria 1796 Lichen pustulatus 1753 Lasallia pustulata 1821 Lichen pyxidatus 1753 Cladonia pyxidata 1796 Lichen rangiferinus 1753 Cladonia rangiferina 1780 Lichen rangiferinus var. alpestris 1753 Cladonia stellaris 1971 Lichen rangiferinus var. sylvaticus 1753 Cladonia portentosa 1865 Lichen resupinatus 1753 Nephroma resupinatum 1810 Lichen roccella 1753 Roccella tinctoria DC. 1805 Lichen rugosus 1753 Ascodichaena rugosa 1977 Lichen rupicola 1767 Glaucomaria rupicola var. rupicola 2022 Lichen saccatus 1755 Solorina saccata 1808 Lichen sanguinarius 1753 Mycoblastus sanguinarius f. sanguinarius 1852 Lichen saxatilis 1753 Parmelia saxatilis 1803 Lichen scriptus 1753 Graphis scripta 1809 Lichen stellaris 1753 Physcia stellaris 1853 Lichen stygius 1753 Melanelia stygia 1978 Lichen subfuscus 1753 Nom. rej. N/A N/A N/ALichen subulatus 1753 Cladonia subulata 1780 Lichen tartareus 1753 Ochrolechia tartarea 1852 Lichen uncialis 1753 Cladonia uncialis subsp. uncialis 1780 Lichen upsaliensis 1753 Ochrolechia upsaliensis 1852 Lichen usnea 1767 Ramalina usnea 1914 Lichen velleus 1753 Umbilicaria vellea 1794 Lichen venosus 1753 Peltigera venosa 1789 Lichen ventosus 1753 Ophioparma ventosa 1852 Lichen vernalis 1768 Biatora vernalis 1822 Lichen vulpinus 1753 Letharia vulpina 1899 Mucor fulvus 1753 Chaenotheca furfuracea 1984 Mucor furfuraceus 1753 Chaenotheca furfuracea 1984 Mucor lichenoides 1753 Calicium salicinum 1794 Mucor sphaerocephalus 1753 Calicium lenticulare 1816 N/ATremella lichenoides 1753 Scytinium lichenoides 2014

Glossary Art. 56 – the article of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICNafp) that allows a scientific name to be formally rejected when its continued use would cause confusion or instability (for example, because the original description is unidentifiable, ambiguous, or threatens a well-established name). A name rejected under Art. 56 becomes unavailable for use and is listed as nom. rej. basionym – the original name on which a new name is based nom. cons. prop. – nomen conservandum propositum; meaning "a name proposed for conservation". It indicates that a formal proposal has been submitted to conserve a particular name against an earlier competing one under Article 14 of the ICNafp nom. illeg. – nomen illegitimum; an illegitimate name according to the ICNafp nom. rej. – nomen rejiciendum; a name that has been formally rejected and is no longer available for use nom. rej. prop. – nomen rejiciendum propositum; as above, but in the proposal stage and not yet ratified

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Cited literature