Multimedia Gallery
Lichen Species Caloplaca obamae
Macroscopic image (x0.75) of the thallus of Caloplaca obamae, a newly discovered lichen species found on Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California. The species was named in honor of President Barack Obama by Kerry Knudsen, a researcher and the lichen curator at the herbarium at the University of California, Riverside. Kundsen made his discovery in 2007, while surveying lichen diversity on the island. He named the lichen in honor of the president to show his appreciation for the president's support of science and science education.
To read more about Knudsen's find, see the UC-Riverside news story, "UC-Riverside Researcher Names Lichen After President Barack Obama." (Date of Image: March 2009)
Credit: J.C. Lendemer
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