The island has been designated an Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA 109) mainly for its biological values, especially the banks of Chorisodontium–Polytrichum moss turf and Andreaea–Usnea fellfield.
Usnea looks very similar to Spanish moss, so much so that the latter plant's Latin name is derived from it (Tillandsia usneoides, the 'Usnea-like Tillandsia').
The feature’s name derives from the genus of lichen, Usnea, prevalent on the plug and in this vicinity, and results from geological work by an American field party in early 1969.
Named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) in 1991 after lichens of the genus Usnea, which form a main element of the plant life on the ridge.
Usnea |
Usnea rubicunda (Red beard lichen), is a type of arboreal lichen native to temperate regions in North, Central and South America, as well as Europe, Eastern Asia, and North Africa.