ABSTRACT
The use of Letharia vulpina for poisoning wolves and foxes appears to be ancient and traditional. The toxic principle in Letharia is vulpinic acid and it poisons all meat eaters, but is not effective against mice and rabbits. The alluring and exotic nature of a number of well-known and popular perfumes is owed to a substantial content of lichen extract. Undoubtedly, the greatest amounts of lichen are used commercially in the perfume industry, amounting to some 9000 tons annually. This chapter provides one or more research students to undertake studies on the minor but interesting uses of lichens in particular countries, it will have served an important purpose in addition to reviewing the situation regarding the major uses of food plants. The latter may result in reduced growth rates in these rather sensitive lichens and it eventually may become uneconomic to harvest from traditional collection areas. Falls of manna lichen have been recorded by various observers.
