Cladonia is a genus of moss-like lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. They are the primary food source for reindeer/caribou. Cladonia species are of economic importance to reindeer-herders, such as the Sami in Scandinavia or the Nenets in Russia. Antibiotic compounds are extracted from some species to create antibiotic cream. The light green species Cladonia stellaris is used in flower decorations.
Cladonia portentosa, also known as reindeer lichen or the cream cup lichen, is a light-coloured, fruticose, cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae.
Ramalina siliquosa, also known as sea ivory, is a tufted and branched lichen which is widely found on siliceous rocks and stone walls on coastlands round the British Isles, occasionally slightly inland. It grows well above the high-tide mark but is still very tolerant of salt spray. The branches are flattened and grey, and bear disc-like spore-producing bodies. It forms part of the diet of sheep in Shetland and on the coast of North Wales. It is found in Iceland where it has a conservation status of a vulnerable species.
A corticolous lichen is a lichen that grows on bark. This is contrasted with lignicolous lichen, which grows on wood that has had the bark stripped from it, and saxicolous lichen, which grows on rock.
Cladonia parasitica, commonly known as the fence-rail cladonia, fence-rail cup lichen or parasite club lichen, is a species of fruticose, cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It was first described by Hoffmann in 1784 under the name Lichen parasiticus, until he reclassified it under the genus Cladonia in 1795.
Cladonia subradiata is a widely distributed species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It is found in Asia, Africa, Melanesia, Australia, New Zealand, and South, Central, and North America.
Cladonia turgida or the crazy-scale cup lichen is a species of cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae.
Umbilicaria polyphylla, commonly known as petaled rock tripe, is a widely distributed species of saxicolous lichen in the family Umbilicariaceae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum as Lichen polyphyllus. German botanist Johann Christian Gottlob Baumgarten transferred it to the genus Umbilicaria in 1790. The lichen has a dark brown to black thallus that measures 2–6 cm (0.8–2.4 in) in diameter. The upper surface is smooth, while the lower surface is sooty black. It grows on exposed rocks, typically in arctic-alpine habitats.
Stereocaulon paschale is a species of lichen belonging to the family Stereocaulaceae.
Bryoria implexa is a species of horsehair lichen in the family Parmeliaceae.
Cladonia deformis, also known as the lesser sulphur cup or the lesser sulphur cup lichen, is a light-coloured, fruticose, cup lichen belonging to the family Cladoniaceae. This lichen was first described as Lichen deformis by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, and transferred to the genus Cladonia in 1796 by Georg Franz Hoffmann.
Cladonia coniocraea, commonly known as the common powderhorn or the powderhorn cup lichen, is a species of fruticose, cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It was first described by Heinrich Gustav Flörke in 1821 under the name Cenomyce coniocraea, until Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel reclassified it under the genus Cladonia in 1827.
Cladonia uncialis is a species of fruticose, cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It was first described as a new species by Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It was transferred to the genus Cladonia by Friedrich Heinrich Wiggers in 1780. In North America, the lichen is colloquially known as the thorn Cladonia or the thorn cup lichen.
Cladonia macilenta or the lipstick cup lichen is a species of cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae.
Cladonia strepsilis or the olive cup lichen is a species of cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. In Iceland, where it is only found in a few locations in the Eastern Region, it is red listed as endangered (EN).
Cladonia sulphurina is a species of cup lichen belonging to the family Cladoniaceae.
Cladonia homosekikaica is a species of cup lichen belonging to the family Cladoniaceae. It was formally described as a new species by Japanese lichenologist Mariko Nuno in 1975.
Bryoria fuscescens is a species of lichen of the family Parmeliaceae.
Bryoria pseudofuscescens is a species of lichen of the family Parmeliaceae.
Cladonia rei, commonly known as the wand lichen, is a species of ground-dwelling, fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It is a widely distributed species, having been reported from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North America. It is identified by its slightly dirty-colored, rough-surfaced, slender podetia that grow up to 9 cm (3.5 in) tall. Diagnostic characters of the lichen include the continuously sorediate, green-and-brown-mottled, podetia that taper upward to a point, while chemically, it contains homosekikaic and sekikaic acids. Its reduced capacity to bioaccumulate toxic heavy metals from its surroundings, as well as its ability to switch photobiont partners, allows the lichen to colonize and survive highly polluted habitats. There are several other Cladonia species that are somewhat similar in appearance, but can be distinguished either by subtle differences in morphology, or by the secondary chemicals they contain.
