Aspicilia cinerea

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Aspicilia cinerea
[“Cinder lichen”; syn. Urceolaria cinerea??, Lecanora cinerea]

USES:   Dye (England)

Urceolaria cinerea was used in England to make a red-crimson dye used on woolens (Uphof 1959). Before it was used for dye it had to be treated with ammonia (probably urine). The lichen was pulped with water and ammonia, and then left to ferment for 2 to 3 weeks.

Aspicilia cinerea contains norstictic and stictic acid (Brodo et al. 2001).