List of lichens of Rwanda explained

The lichen flora of Rwanda, similar to many regions in Africa, remains incompletely documented. The first records of Rwandan lichens were published by Gustav Lindau (1911), who collected specimens during the German expedition led by Johannes Mildbraed in the Rugege forest. This was followed by extensive studies from Belgian scientists and Emmanuël Sérusiaux in the latter half of the 20th century. Additional research was later conducted by Eberhard Fischer and colleagues.

While Thomas Douglas Victor Swinscow and Hildur Krog produced a comprehensive compilation of macrolichen flora for other East African nations (Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania), Rwanda's lichen species had not been similarly catalogued. Considerable gaps in documentation exist, particularly in the Byumba province of northern Rwanda, where no lichen records were published. Many groups of Rwandan lichens remain unstudied, including lichenicolous fungi, of which only four species have been documented.

The lichen flora of Rwanda shows significant variation across different altitudinal zones and habitats, from montane forests to dry savannas. In the montane forest zones, lichens often form exuberant growths, with many species showing specific preferences for certain elevation ranges. The bamboo zones, Hagenia-Hypericum forests, and high-altitude ericaceous vegetation each harbour distinctive lichen communities.

This is a list of the lichen species in Rwanda. It is based on the 2007 checklist by Christina Bock, Markus Hauck, and Fischer, and new records of species from the country published since that time.

Species

Lichenicolous fungi

Further reading

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