(Cladonia mitis)
Conservation • Description • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
|
|
Description |
Green Reindeer Lichen is a slow growing, long-lived, shrubby lichen. It is very common in Alaska, throughout Canada, and across the northern United States except in the Pacific northwest. It grows on the ground in full sun on thin soil, clay, rock, turf, moss, dead leaves, and debris. It is especially common in white spruce and black spruce forests, but is also found in abandoned fields and grassy areas. It forms dense mats with other species of Cladonia that can form a continuous carpet on the forest floor. A single clump often contains more than one species of Cladonia. The vegetative body (thallus) is a shrubby tuft of many branching stems. The primary thallus is inconspicuous and composed of scaly, flaky, rounded, prostrate pieces (squamulose). The secondary talus is conspicuous, upright, three dimensional, and shrubby (fruticose). It is composed of numerous, richly branched, hollow stalks (podetia). The podetia are 1⅝″ to 4¾″ long, 1 ⁄64″ to 1 ⁄32″ (0.5 to 0.8 mm) wide, and whitish, cream-colored, pale yellowish-gray, or pale yellowish-green. They grow upward at the tip and die back at the base. They readily absorb moisture, becoming flexible when moist, crusty when dry. Each branch ends in two to four short branchlets which spread in all directions. Spores are produced at the tip of each branchlet and these tips are sometimes light brown. Separate, cup-shaped, spore-producing structures (apothecia) are not produced. |
Similar Species |
Gray Reindeer Lichen (Cladonia rangiferina) terminal branchlets are swept in the same direction. |
Ecology |
Substrate |
Ground |
Growth Form |
Fruticose |
Habitat |
Spruce forests, abandoned fields, grassy areas. Thin soil, clay, rock, turf, moss, dead leaves, and debris. Full sun. |
Hosts |
|
Distribution |
||
Sources |
||
2/26/2024 | ||
Occurrence |
||
Common in northern Minnesota |
Taxonomy |
|
Kingdom |
Fungi (fungi including lichens) |
Subkingdom |
Dikarya |
Phylum |
Ascomycota (sac fungi) |
Subphylum |
Pezizomycotina |
Class |
Lecanoromycetes (common lichens) |
Subclass |
Lecanoromycetidae (shield lichens, sunburst lichens, rosette lichens, and allies) |
Order |
Lecanorales (shield lichens, rim lichens, and allies) |
Suborder |
Lecanorineae |
Family |
Cladoniaceae (spindles and structured lichens) |
Genus |
Cladonia (pixie cup and reindeer lichens) |
Mycobiont |
Cladonia mitis |
Photobiont |
Trebouxia glomerata |
Subordinate Taxa |
|
|
|
Synonyms |
|
Cladina arbuscula ssp. mitis Cladina arbuscula var. mitis Cladina mitis Cladonia arbuscula ssp. mitis Cladonia arbuscula ssp. stricta Cladonia arbuscula var. mitis Cladonia sylvatica var. mitis |
|
This species was formerly placed in the genus Cladina. Recent DNA studies suggest that Cladina should be treated as a subspecies of Cladonia. |
|
Common Names |
|
Green Reindeer Lichen Spineless Reindeer Lichen |
Glossary
Apothecia
An open, disk-shaped or cup-shaped, reproductive structure, with spore sacs on the upper surface, that produces spores for the fungal partner of a lichen.
Fruticose
Shrubby: referring to the growh form of lichens that may be tufted, draped, or stalked.
Podetium
The hollow stalk of the fruiting body of lichens in the genus Cladonia. Plural: podetia.
Thallus
The vegetative body of a lichen composed of both the alga and the fungus.
What’s in a Name?
Cladonia lichens are the primary source of food in winter for caribou (reindeer), hence the common name Reindeer Lichens.
Visitor Photos |
||
Share your photo of this lichen. |
||
This button not working for you? |
Luciearl |
||
![]() |
![]() |
|
![]() |
![]() |
|
![]() |
||
Closeup this seems very similar to green reindeer lichen found in the past, but slightly different |
||
![]() |
![]() |
|
![]() |
![]() |
|
Growing in full sun, feels crunchy and stiff. |
||
![]() |
![]() |
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
|
|
|
|
|
Slideshows |
|
Visitor Videos |
||
Share your video of this lichen. |
||
This button not working for you? |
|
Other Videos |
|
Visitor Sightings |
||
Report a sighting of this lichen. |
||
This button not working for you? |
Luciearl |
Location: Fairview Twp. |
![]() |
Luciearl |
Location: Fairview Twp., Cass County |
![]() |
Luciearl |
Location: Fairview Twp., Cass County Closeup this seems very similar to green reindeer lichen found in the past, but slightly different |
![]() |
Luciearl 8/2/2019 |
Location: Paul Bunyan Trail north of Pine River |
![]() |
Luciearl 8/29/2018 |
Location: Cass County Growing in full sun, feels crunchy and stiff. |
![]() |
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
|
Created: 9/1/2018 Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |