Cladonia portentosa

Cladonia portentosa
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Lecanoromycetes
Order:	Lecanorales
Family:	Cladoniaceae
Genus:	Cladonia
Species:	C. portentosa
Binomial name
Cladonia portentosa (Dufour) Coem. (1865)

Cladonia portentosa, also known as reindeer lichen or the cream cup lichen, ^[2] is a light-coloured, fruticose, cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae.

A similar-looking species, also known by the common name "reindeer lichen", is Cladonia rangiferina .

Description

Cladonia portentosa forms compact interwoven mats up to 6 cm tall. It is richly branched, each branch usually dividing into three but with the penultimate sometimes dividing into two. The branching is at a larger angle than that of Cladonia rangiferina . ^[3]

Conservation status

As of July 2021, its conservation status has not been estimated by the IUCN. In Iceland, its conservation status is denoted as data deficient (DD). ^[4]

See also

• List of Cladonia species

Illustrations

Gilbert, O. 2004. ^[5]

References

1. NatureServe. "Cladonia portentosa". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
2. "Standardized Common Names for Wild Species in Canada". National General Status Working Group. 2020.
3. Dobson, Frank S., Lichens: An Illustrated Guide to the British and Irish Species, Richmond Publishing, Slough, 5th edn 2005.
4. Náttúrufræðistofnun Íslands [Icelandic Institute of Natural History] (1996). Válisti 1: Plöntur. (in Icelandic) Reykjavík: Náttúrufræðistofnun Íslands.
5. Gilbert, O. 2007. Lichens Scottish Natural Heritage ISBN   1-85397-373-4