jäkälä

Jäkälä is the Finnish word for lichen, the composite organisms formed by a partnership between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner such as algae or cyanobacteria. In Finnish biology and ecology, jäkälä is used to refer to lichens in general and to describe lichens found on rocks, trees, or soil. The term appears in field notes, ecological descriptions, and natural science literature.

Beyond its biological meaning, jäkälä is also used as a Finnish surname. Like many nature- or landscape-derived surnames in Finland, it may have originated from a toponymic background associated with a place where lichens were prominent or noticeable to inhabitants.

The form also occurs in Finnish place names, reflecting the country’s toponymic practices of naming locations after natural features. In contemporary usage, jäkälä is primarily encountered as a common noun in scientific and educational contexts, while as a proper noun it appears in surnames and geographic names.

In Finnish dictionaries, jäkälä is defined as lichen; when used as a proper noun, it follows standard capitalization rules for names.