Umbilicaria mammulata (Ach.) Tuck.
Smooth rock tripe, navel lichen
Smooth rock tripe forms large sheets (rarely, up to 2′ (60 cm) across), like aged curling leather sheets, on cliffs and boulders.
Identification: The sheets are attached at only a single point (hence the genus Umbilicaria). They are reddish- or grayish-brown on top, and velvety black below. The top surface appears greenish when wet. The large size and coloration are unlike other lichens.
Edibility: An hour of boiling is said to convert this leather-like lichen into an edible source of protein, palatable by itself or when added to soup or stews. Soak for 2-3 hours first to remove acids that, while not dangerous, may send you running to the bathroom in a hurry. Even after all this soaking and boiling, you’d better be good and hungry—many say it still tastes like shoe leather.
Habitats: Northeastern US and Southeastern Canada, on rocks and boulders in open forests.
Online References:
References:
Gyrophora dillenii (Tuck.) Müll. Arg.
4/19/2021 · Center Pond Preserve, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
9/26/2010 · Doane’s Falls, Royalston, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 3½″ (12 × 8.7 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
11/8/2009 · Yellow Trail from Pearl Hill State Park to Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm) 
4/21/2023 · Robert P. Tristram Coffin Wildflower Preserve, Woolwich, Maine 
7/3/2012 · Yellow Trail from Pearl Hill State Park to Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts 
5/25/2016 · Andres Art Institute, Big Bear M, Brookline, New Hampshire 
11/8/2009 · Yellow Trail from Pearl Hill State Park to Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
7/3/2012 · Yellow Trail from Pearl Hill State Park to Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 6″ (15 × 14 cm) 
5/17/2021 · Bijhouwer Forest, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
11/8/2009 · Yellow Trail from Pearl Hill State Park to Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 27 cm) 
9/20/2018 · Porcupine Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
4/29/2016 · Andres Art Institute, Big Bear Mountain, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 2 × 1½′ (66 × 44 cm) 
4/11/2021 · Robert P. Tristram Coffin Wild Flower Reservation, Woolwich, Maine · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm) 
4/21/2013 · Crow Hill Trail, Leominster State Forest, Leominster, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm) 
7/23/2023 · The Mountain Trails, The Mountain Preserve, Belgrade Lakes Village, Maine 
4/11/2021 · Robert P. Tristram Coffin Wild Flower Reservation, Woolwich, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
9/26/2010 · Doane’s Falls, Royalston, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain 
9/9/2010 · Pine Meadow Conservation Trust Land, Groton Harvard Road, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm) ID is uncertain 
2/19/2012 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 15 cm) 
9/4/2023 · Thorne Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
4/21/2013 · Crow Hill Trail, Leominster State Forest, Leominster, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
2/19/2012 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm) 
5/25/2016 · Andres Art Institute, Big Bear M, Brookline, New Hampshire 
The green lichen is Umbilicaria mammulata. The gray warty stuff is Lasallia papulosa. They often occur together. · 7/23/2023 · The Mountain Trails, The Mountain Preserve, Belgrade Lakes Village, Maine 
11/8/2009 · Yellow Trail from Pearl Hill State Park to Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
| Kingdom | Fungi | Mushrooms, lichens, gel fungi, yeasts, and molds; also called eukaryotes |
| Division | Ascomycota | Sac fungi |
| Subdivision | Pezizomycotina | Sac fungi with filaments |
| Class | Lecanoromycetes | “Lichenized” fungi |
| Family | Umbilicariaceae | The rock tripes, a family of Asco-lichenes in the order Lecanorales having a large, circular, umbilicate thallus |
| Genus | Umbilicaria | After “umbilicate,” or having a central depression, like a navel |
| Species | mammulata | Mammouth, i.e., large |
Umbilicaria mammulata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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