What does lichen mean?
Word: Lichen
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Lichen means a slow-growing living thing, made of a fungus and an alga living together, that forms grey, green or yellow patches on rocks, walls and tree bark.
How do you spell lichen?
Syllables: li - chen
Tricky part: The sound after the i is spelt ch. Many people say it as a k sound, as in chemist, which is why licken and likhen turn up in answers.
Watch out for: licken, likhen
Memory tip: A lichen is a partnership of two living things, and its middle has a partnership of two letters, c and h, working together for one sound.
Lichen in a sentence
Example 1: Orange lichen had spread across the roof tiles of the old fort.
Example 2: We found three different kinds of lichen on one mango tree in the school garden.
Example 3: The ranger told us that reindeer in the Arctic eat lichen in winter.
Fun Fact
Some lichens grow only about a millimetre a year, so a large patch on an old wall may be many decades old.
Practise the CREST Way
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
ehnlci 123456
a) 456213
b) 645213
c) 465213
d) 465231
Show answer
c) 465213. In that order the letters name the crusty growth found on rocks and bark.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) fungus
b) algae
c) lichan
d) mildew
Show answer
c) lichan. Fungus, algae and mildew are correct; the patchy growth on stone ends in -en.
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
On our trek near Kodaikanal, the guide pointed to grey patches of lychen on a boulder beside the path.
a) a long walk, often over hills or mountains
b) a dry, crust-like growth on old stones and trees
c) a person who shows visitors the way
d) a very large rock
Show answer
b) a dry, crust-like growth on old stones and trees. The word with the slip should have an i after the l; it names the grey patches.
Word Champ
Read the statements and choose the correct option:
1. Scientists often use lichens as a sign of how clean the air in a place is. 2. A fungus makes its own food from sunlight, just as green plants do. 3. A tadpole is a young frog or toad that lives in water.
a) all three are correct
b) only 1 and 3 are correct
c) only 2 and 3 are correct
d) only 1 and 2 are correct
Show answer
b) only 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is false: a fungus cannot make food from sunlight and has to take it from what it grows on.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Where would you be most likely to spot lichen on a walk?
a) floating in a glass of water
b) on the bark of an old tree
c) on a freshly painted door
d) inside a sealed biscuit tin
Show answer
b) on the bark of an old tree
2. Why can lichen grow on bare rock where most plants cannot?
a) it needs a great deal of rich soil
b) it must be watered by hand every day
c) it grows only where it is very hot
d) its two partners together can live without soil
Show answer
d) its two partners together can live without soil
