Glow Lichen

For the generated feature, see Glow Lichen (feature).

Glow Lichen

Renewable	Yes
Stackable	Yes (64)
Tools
Blast resistance	0.2
Hardness	0.2
Luminous	Yes (7)
Transparent	Yes
Waterloggable	Yes
Flammable	Yes
Catches fire from lava	Yes
Map color	61 GLOW_LICHEN
Note block instrument	Default (Harp)

A glow lichen is a non-solid, light-emitting block. It can generate, or be placed, on any side of a solid block. It primarily generates on the side of blocks in caves.

Obtaining

Breaking

Glow lichen can be destroyed with anything, most efficiently with an axe. However, using shears is the only way to obtain glow lichen. Enchanting shears with Efficiency II allows for instant mining.

Block	Glow Lichen
Hardness	0.2
Tool
Breaking time (sec)^[A]
Default	10.3 (JE) 0.3 (BE)
Wooden	10.15 (JE) 0.15 (BE)
Stone	10.1 (JE) 0.1 (BE)
Copper	10.1 (JE) 0.1 (BE)
Iron	10.05 (JE) 0.05 (BE)
Diamond	10.05 (JE) 0.05 (BE)
Netherite	10.05 (JE) 0.05 (BE)
Golden	10.05 (JE) 0.05 (BE)
Shears	10.3 (JE) 0.3 (BE)
Sword	10.2 (JE) 0.2 (BE)
Options
Efficiency	000
Haste	001 1JEBE

Legend

incorrect tool, drops nothing
correct tool, drops nothing or something other than the block itself
correct tool, drops the block itself
italicized can be instant mined

↑ These durations ignore any other influential factors (e.g., Mining Fatigue) and are measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Mining efficiency.

Natural generation

Main article: Glow lichen (feature)

Glow lichen generates naturally in the interior of caves (at any height) on the surface of stone, sulfur, cinnabar, andesite, diorite, granite, calcite, tuff, deepslate, any ore, and dripstone blocks that are exposed to air or water sources. As well as within or upon generated structures, or sometimes even exposed to some surface light. It can be found underwater, but cannot generate in a deep dark biome.

Post-generation

Using bone meal causes glow lichen to spread to a random adjacent block if possible; otherwise, the bone meal is not consumed. By fertilizing one lichen with bone meal, it is possible to cover the sides and the top of an adjacent block, but not the back. Otherwise, glow lichen does not spread naturally.

Usage

Light

Glow lichen emits a light level of 7.

Placement

Multiple glow lichens can be placed in the area of one solid block, such as covering three sides of a corner. When such glow lichens are mined, all glow lichens occupying the same block are also mined. Mining with shears causes all glow lichens in the block to drop.

Glow lichens cannot be broken by flowing water or lava,^[1]^[2] similar to signs. Therefore, they may be used to control the flow of water, but not lava, as glow lichens are flammable.

Composting

Placing a glow lichen into a composter has a 50% chance of raising the compost level by 1.

Advertisement Remove ads with Premium →

Sounds

Java Edition:

`glow_lichen` sound type
Sound	Closed captions	Source	Description	Identifier	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	`block.grass.break`	`subtitles.block.generic.break`	1.0	0.8	16
	Block placed^{[until: JE 26.4]}	Blocks	When the block is placed	`block.grass.place`	`subtitles.block.generic.place`	1.0	0.8	16
	Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	`block.grass.hit`	`subtitles.block.generic.hit`	0.25	0.5	16
	Something falls on a block	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	`block.grass.fall`	`subtitles.block.generic.fall`	0.5	0.75	16
	Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	`block.vine.step`	`subtitles.block.generic.footsteps`	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

`glow_lichen` sound type
Sound	Closed captions	Source	Description	Identifier	Translation key	Volume	Pitch
	Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	`dig.grass`	`subtitles.block.generic.break`	0.7	0.8–1.0
	Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	`place.grass`	`subtitles.block.generic.place`	0.8	0.8–1.0
	Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	`hit.grass`	`subtitles.block.generic.hit`	0.3	0.5
	Something falls on a block	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	`fall.grass`	`subtitles.block.generic.fall`	0.4	1.0
	Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	`step.vines`	`subtitles.block.generic.footsteps`	0.3	1.0

Data values

ID

Name	Identifier	Form	Translation key
Glow Lichen	`glow_lichen`	Block & Item	`block.minecraft.glow_lichen`

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID^{[i 1]}	Translation key
Glow Lichen	`glow_lichen`	`666`	Block & Giveable Item^{[i 2]}	Identical^{[i 3]}	`tile.glow_lichen.name`

↑ ID of block's direct item form, which is used in savegame files and addons.
↑ Available with /give command.
↑ The block's direct item form has the same ID as the block.

Block states

Name	Default value	Allowed values	Description
down	`false`	`false` `true`	When true, a glow lichen texture is displayed on the bottom.
east	`false`	`false` `true`	When true, a glow lichen texture is displayed on the east.
north	`false`	`false` `true`	When true, a glow lichen texture is displayed on the north.
south	`false`	`false` `true`	When true, a glow lichen texture is displayed on the south.
up	`false`	`false` `true`	When true, a glow lichen texture is displayed on the top.
waterlogged	`false`	`false` `true`	Whether or not there's water in the same place as this glow lichen.
west	`false`	`false` `true`	When true, a glow lichen texture is displayed on the west.

Name	Metadata Bits	Default value	Allowed values	Values for Metadata Bits	Description
multi_face_direction_bits	`0x1` `0x2` `0x4` `0x8` `0x10` `0x20`	`0`	`0 to 63`	`0 to 63`	The directions the glow lichen exists. Each bit determines one direction: 0x1: Down 0x2: Up 0x4: South 0x8: West 0x10: North 0x20: East 0 is unused and it behaves like 63.

History

Java Edition

Java Edition
1.17	21w03a	Added glow lichen.
	21w03a	Glow lichen placed inside lava converts the lava into waterlogged lichen, even in the Nether.^[3]
	21w05a	Changed model of glow lichen. Moved model from 0.01 to 0.1 up.
	21w05a	Waterlogged glow lichen no longer forms when placed in lava.
	February 9, 2021	Showed early design of glow lichen.
	21w07a	Glow lichen can now be naturally generated on deepslate.
	21w08a	Glow lichen now generates almost twice as often.
	21w11a	Bone meal can no longer be used on glow lichen if it has no blocks to spread to.
	21w11a	Glow lichen can now be used on a composter.
	21w13a	The model of glow lichen has been tweaked so that the backside texture is mirrored.
	21w20a	Glow Lichen now drops the correct amount if there's more than one on a block.
1.19	22w15a	Can now be placed on the top and sides of soul sand, mud and maximum height snow.
1.19.3	22w44a	Glow Lichen now makes a sound when being walked on.^[4]

Bedrock Edition

Bedrock Edition
1.17.0 Experiment Caves and Cliffs	beta 1.16.230.50	Added glow lichen behind the "Caves and Cliffs" experimental toggle.
1.17.0 Experiment Caves and Cliffs	beta 1.16.230.54	Glow lichen can now appear on the walls of underground water lakes.
1.17.0	beta 1.17.0.50	Glow lichen is no longer available only through experimental gameplay.
1.17.30 Experiment Caves and Cliffs	beta 1.17.20.22	Glow lichen can now generate between Y=-64 and Y=63.
1.17.40 Experiment Caves and Cliffs	beta 1.17.40.20	The maximum Y-level that glow lichen can generate has been increased to Y=120.
1.18.0	beta 1.18.0.22	Glow lichen is no longer able to generate anywhere outside of caves.^[5]^[6]
1.18.10	beta 1.18.10.26	Decreased the light level emitted by glow lichen from 10 to 7 to match Java Edition.
1.21.50	Preview 1.21.50.26	Glow lichen now play their step sound when on top of a block an actor is walking on.
26.20 Experiment Drop 2 of 2026	Preview 26.20.23	Added sulfur caves, which have an increased rate of glow lichen generation.
26.30	Preview 26.30.29	Sulfur caves no longer have increased glow lichen generation.

Glow lichen in a developer screenshot.
Early design of glow lichen.

Issues

Issues relating to "Glow Lichen" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Trivia

This block was hinted at by Henrik Kniberg, who explained that the glowing ores at Minecraft Live 2020 were prototypes for this.^[7]^[8]
If the player removes all directional states using a debug stick, the block becomes invisible, but the light emission remains, unless another block is placed there.
In real life, the lichen is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungus species in a symbiotic relationship.