Buellia subsoriroides

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FOLK NAMES: Maidi (Garwali: India)

USES:   Dye (Garwali: India)

NOTE:   Not found in North America

This lichen is used by the Garhwali herdsmen of the Garhwal Himalayans in India as a substitute for henna to colour their fingertips and palms (Lal and Upreti 1995). They spit saliva on the lichen and start rubbing it with a small piece of rough stone to get a small amount of paste. This paste is applied to the fingertips and palms and left for 10 minutes. The paste is then removed and the finger is stained orange-coloured.

Buellia subsoriroides contains baeomycesic acid, norstictic acid, and atranorin (Lal and Upreti 1995).