Niebla usneoides is a fruticose lichen that grows on rocks in the fog zone along the Pacific Coast of Baja California in the Vizcaíno Desert and Magadalena Desert regions, and reported also from the Channel Islands and mainland of southern California.

[1] Niebla usneoides was first recognized by Richard Spjut as distinct from other species in the genus while collecting samples for chemopreventive agents and for anticancer screening on the Vizcaíno Peninsula near Arroyo San Andrés in May 1986.

[1] A 700 gram sample of N. usneoides was collected in a mixed desert and coastal sage scrub region characterized by Pachycormus discolor, Encelia stenophylla, Eriogonum encelioides, Eriogonum pondii, Salvia cedrosensis, Petalonyx linearis, Rhus lentii and various lichens and one desert mushroom Battarraea phalloides.

[5][6] However, the term race implies a genetic difference derived from sexually reproducing species.

[1] This may be viewed as evidence of a genetic difference as opposed to environmentally induced chemical variation.