The new plant bears the name Obama

An American scientist has just discovered a completely new species of lichen and he decided to use the US President's last name, Obama, to name the first known plant.

The lichens are named after US President Barack Obama's surname.Photo: nature.com.

Kerry Knudsen, expert of lichen of the University of California, discovered a new lichen since 2007 when surveying the level of lichen diversity on Santa Rosa island in California, USA. "I named it Caloplaca obamae to express my gratitude for the president's advocacy of scientific research , " Knudsen said.

Caloplaca obamae grows on land and is nearly extinct due to the grazing practice on Santa Rosa Island. "This lichen is very difficult to survive in areas where cattle, buffalo, deer, and deer feed. But it is fortunate for them that people in Santa Rosa Island are no longer grazing cattle and buffaloes," he said. more. In the future, when elk and deer are taken out of the island, C. obamae will have a chance to proliferate.

Lichen is a special kind of creature. They are the result of coexistence between algae and fungi. The mycelium absorbs water and minerals to algae. Thanks to chlorophyll, algae can make organic substances that feed both. In this common life algae and fungi have a certain role, neither side depends entirely on the other. Lichen grows slowly but exists for many years.