Green Reindeer Lichen
(Cladonia mitis)
| Conservation Status | IUCN Red List |
not yet assessed |
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NatureServe |
NNR - Unranked |
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Minnesota |
not listed |
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| Occurrence | Common in northern Minnesota |
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| Habitat/Hosts | Spruce forests, abandoned fields, grassy areas. Thin soil, clay, rock, turf, moss, dead leaves, and debris. Full sun. |
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Photo by Luciearl | ||||||
| Identification | This 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. |
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| Similar Species |
Gray Reindeer Lichen (Cladonia rangiferina) terminal branchlets are swept in the same direction. |
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| Distribution |  |
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| Comments | What’s in a Name? |
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| Taxonomy | Division: |
Ascomycota (sac fungi) |
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No Rank: |
saccharomyceta |
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Subdivision: |
Pezizomycotina |
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No Rank: |
leotiomyceta |
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Class: |
Lecanoromycetes |
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Subclass: |
Lecanoromycetidae |
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Order: |
Lecanorales |
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Suborder: |
Lecanorineae |
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Family: |
Cladoniaceae |
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Mycobiont: |
Cladonia mitis |
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Photobiont: |
Trebouxia glomerata |
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| This species was formerly placed in the genus Cladina. Recent DNA studies suggest that Cladina should be treated as a subspecies of Cladonia. | |||||||
| 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 |
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| Common Names |
Green Reindeer Lichen Spineless Reindeer Lichen |
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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.
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| Luciearl | |||
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Growing in full sun, feels crunchy and stiff. |
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| Luciearl 8/2/2019 |
Location: Paul Bunyan Trail north of Pine River |
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| Luciearl 8/29/2018 |
Location: Cass County Growing in full sun, feels crunchy and stiff. |
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Created: 9/1/2018
Last Updated: