Green Reindeer Lichen

(Cladonia mitis)

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

 
Green Reindeer Lichen
Photo by Luciearl
 
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 1 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

Distribution Map

 

Sources

4, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77, 81.

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 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.

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Luciearl

Green Reindeer Lichen   Green Reindeer Lichen
     
Green Reindeer Lichen    
     

Growing in full sun, feels crunchy and stiff.

Green Reindeer Lichen   Green Reindeer Lichen
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Luciearl
2/26/2024

Location: Fairview Twp., Cass County

Green Reindeer Lichen
Luciearl
8/2/2019

Location: Paul Bunyan Trail north of Pine River

Green Reindeer Lichen
Luciearl
8/29/2018

Location: Cass County

Growing in full sun, feels crunchy and stiff.

Green Reindeer Lichen
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Created: 9/1/2018

Last Updated:

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