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Article: Lichens: the "tough guy" plants.
- Article from:
- Highlights for Children
- Article date:
- June 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Highlights for Children, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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They can grow where other plants would wither.
Lichens are among the weirdest-looking plants. And they live in strange places.
You may find them growing on tree branches or brick walls. In the Arctic, they grow on the ground as a mat. Reindeer paw through the snow to find lichens (LIKE-ins), which are their most important winter food.
Scientists have collected lichens from crevices in Antarctic boulders and from old skulls bleaching in the desert. Some lichens have been growing on old stone monuments for centuries.
Lichens are so hardy that they can survive even after they dry to a brittle crust in the sun. When rain falls, the lichens ...