Country music legend Dolly Parton has won a host of accolades across her career.

She’s had number one hits, million-dollar albums, an ‘Entertainer of the Year’, as many Grammy Award nominations as Beyoncé, honorary uni degrees, and of course an induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

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The lichen grows near where Dolly Parton grew up.

But her finest moment may have occurred last week when scientists named a lichen in her honour.

The new species of fungus algae, Japewiella dollypartoniana, was recently found in the Appalachian Mountains, the general area where Ms Parton lives.

“Dolly Parton is an inspirational figure who has championed the Appalachians both in America and around the globe,” said scientist Jessica Allen in a statement.

“By naming an Appalachian lichen species found near her Tennessee hometown in her honor we hope to pay tribute her tireless work as an artist and philanthropist,” Ms Allen said.

The species of lichen (which is a symbiotic partnership between fungi and algae) had actually been known for years, but was only recently officially identified.

The finding was reported in the Castanea journal.