By Salem S. Hunter, Tristen J. Pasternak, Amanda M. Chandler

Oct 13 2022

Dr. Lidia Itatí Ferraro, born in 1951, is an accomplished Argentine lichenologist. She received her bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in biological sciences. After schooling, she continued her learning as an assistant at the Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste (Ibone). Her story with lichens began in a way that resembles that of Héctor S. Osorio, with an unprocessed box of specimens given to Ferraro by her supervisor and the goal of organizing them.

Much of her research is on epiphyllous lichens, or those which grow on leaves. Her most studied family of lichens is the ever complex Gomphillaceae, although she has published papers on other families found in Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia. The Steere Herbarium currently has specimens from five different species that she has authority on, including one, Parmotrema masonii L.I.Ferraro, of which she is the sole authority on.