Table 2:  A summary of studies on the nutritional composition of lichens          
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Lichen species

Ash %

Fat %

Ether Extract- ives %

Protein g/100g

Crude Fiber %

Carbo- hydrates %

Type of Carbohydrate

Vit. C mg/ 100g

Vit. B g/100g or mg/ 100g

Vit. A

Vit. D

Ca mg/ 100g

P mg/ 100g

Fe mg/ 100g

Other

Reference

Parmelia  cirrhata

12.3

2.6

8.2a

11.0

22.5i

Lichenin and/or Isolichenin

4.4

210k

398

156

52

Lal and Ranganatha Rao 1956

Parmelia  quercina

2.4

4.5

12.8a

10.7

25.0i

Lichenin and/or Isolichenin

2.7

530k

1250

195

272

Lal and Ranganatha Rao 1956

Parmelia  tinctorum

12.6

6.0

13.8a

13.4

25.0i

Lichenin and/or Isolichenin

5.0

100k

1728

118

36

Lal and Ranganatha Rao 1956

Usnea  orientalis

8.9

1.6

5.1a

6.1

50.0i

Lichenin and/or Isolichenin

9.4

80k

902

110

314

Lal and Ranganatha Rao 1956

Usnea  longissima

3.5

2.2

5.4a

3.8

46.3i

Lichenin and/or Isolichenin

3.4

310k

1028

80

90

Lal and Ranganatha Rao 1956

Usnea  stirtoniana

2.9

2.0

4.6a

3.7

36.0i

Lichenin and/or Isolichenin

4.5

160k

773

90

30

Lal and Ranganatha Rao 1956

Ramalina  sinensis

4.6

0.2

6.8a

4.1

52.0i

Lichenin and/or Isolichenin

6.3

140k

1022

150

81

Lal and Ranganatha Rao 1956

Peltigera  canina

8.7

0.1

21.3a

17.5

---

Lichenin and/or Isolichenin

4.4

430k

486

235

49

Lal and Ranganatha Rao 1956

Roccella montagnei

4.4

1.0

14.2a

12.9

15.0i

Isolichenin

3.7

750k

394

145

46

Lal and Ranganatha Rao 1956

Lichen

1 to 8

Dannfelt

Lichen

2.64

Pringsheim & Kusenack

Tall  Lichensb

0d

0d

Mored

Ellis et al.

Short  Lichensc

0d

Pres- entd

Lessd

Ellis et al.

Lichen species

Ash %

Fat %

Ether Extract- ives %

Protein g/100g

Crude Fiber %

Carbo- hydrates %

Type of Carbohydrate

Vit. C mg/ 100g

Vit. B g/100g or mg/ 100g

Vit. A

Vit. D

Ca mg/ 100g

P mg/ 100g

Fe mg/ 100g

Other

Reference

Aspicilia  esculenta

23, 11

Lichenin

calcium oxalatep

Crum 1993

Lichen

Pres- entg

Bourne and Allen 1935

Lichene

20.7

4.8

6.4f

13.2

370

9

Beeson et al  (1972)

Bryoria spp.

7.77

Llano 1944b

Umbilicaria pennsylvanica

6.27

Llano 1944b

Cetraria islandica

1.7h

2.4h

0

0

Chatfield and Adams (1940)

Cetraria  islandica

1 to 2

2.6

3

Over 80%

Isolichenin and Lichenin

750

4.8

50.0

53.0

Pb, Hg, Cdn

Airaksinen et  al. 1986

Cetraria  islandica

2.2

1.2

0.32

48.6

Swartz 1911

Cladina spp.

5.15

610.0

79.0

Pb, Hg, Cdo

Airaksinen et  al. 1986

Cetraria  islandica

61-66

Llano 1944a,  1944b

Cladina  rangiferina

1.4j

2.1j

5.4j

32.9j

501j,l

Barberie 1946

Cladina  rangiferina

1 to 5

<66

Llano 1944b

Peltigera  canina

21m

Pres- entk

Pres- ent

Subramanian and Ramakrishnan 1964

^a Kjeldahl (N x 6.25)
^b Tall lichens were a mixture of: Cetraria islandica, Cetraria cucullata, Cladonia alpestris, Cladonia gracilis elongata, Cladonia uncialis, Cladonia amaurocraea forma, and Cladonia sylvatica sylvestris.
^c Short lichens were a mixture of: Alectoria nigricans, Alectoria ochroleuca, Cetraria nivalis, Cetraria hiascens, Cladonia bellidiflora  hookeri, Cladonia gracilis dilatata, Lobaria linita, Nephroma arcticum, Parmelia physodes, Peltigera spp., Stereocaulon tomentosum, and Thamnolia vermicularis.
^d Vitamins were measured with feeding experiments
^e Probably Cladonia rangiferina
^f Roughly 3% digestible by livestock
^g Determined with the acetic acid Ð silver nitrate test
^h Samples recalculated for % dry weight, original measurement included 13.7% water
ⁱ Only lichenin and isolichenin measured
^j Samples recalculated for % dry weight, original measurement included 19.2% water
^k Riboflavin in g/100g
^l Niacin in mg/100g
^m Contains 13 amino acids, including 8 out of 9 essential amino acids
ⁿ In units of mg/kg of lichen: Pb=30, Hg=0.075, Cd=0.30
^o In units of mg/kg of lichen: Pb=30, Hg=0.12, Cd=0.20
^p Percent calcium oxalate: 66 or 60

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