Shrubby Lichen

Shrub

A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple stems and shorter height, less than 6–10 m (20–33 ft) tall, the cutoff point varying within this range for any one species due to suitability of growing conditions in any one environment. Some tree species never achieve their mature height because of hostile, less than ideal growing conditions in certain areas, and can resemble shrub-sized plants. Small shrubs, less than 2 m (6.6 ft) tall are sometimes termed as subshrubs. Some shrub species only last about five years in good conditions, while others, usually larger and more woody, live beyond 70 years; on average, shrub species die after about eight years.

Lichen

A lichen is a hybrid colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among filaments of multiple fungus species, along with bacteria embedded in the cortex, or "skin", in a mutualistic relationship. Lichens are the lifeform that first brought the term symbiosis into biological context.

shrubby

Adjective

1. Of or resembling a shrub.
2. Planted or covered with shrubs.

lichen

Noun

1. Any of many symbiotic organisms, being associations of algae and fungi, often found as white or yellow-to-blue–green patches on rocks, old walls, etc.
2. Something which gradually spreads across something else, causing damage.

Verb

1. To cover with lichen.