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cup lichen

Scientific Name: Cladonia cornuta ssp. cornuta

Family: Cladoniaceae

Category: Lichen

Growth: Lichenous

Duration:

Other Names:

       

Pixie Cup Lichen (Cladonia spp.)

Cladonia, commonly known as cup lichen or pixie cup lichen, is a fascinating genus of moss-like lichens belonging to the family Cladoniaceae. These lichens often display distinctive cup-shaped structures.

Scientific Name: Cladonia spp. Common Names: Cup lichen, Pixie cup lichen, British Soldier Lichen (Cladonia cristatella), Pityrea Lichen (Cladonia pityrea), Elf Cup Lichen (Cladonia coccifera), Fringed cup lichen (Cladonia fimbriata), Forest Trumpets

Taxonomy and Nomenclature:

  • Genus: Cladonia
  • Family: Cladoniaceae
  • Note: The scientific name of a lichen refers to its fungal component.
  • Cladonia asahinae is specifically named as a species within the genus
  • Synonyms: Cladonia pyxidata var. pocillum for Cup Lichen - Cladonia pocillum

Distribution and Habitat:

  • Cladonia species are often found on the forest floor, typically on logs or at the base of trees.
  • They can thrive in exposed subalpine sites with poor soils and fallen logs.
  • They occur across the boreal forest.
  • Observed on rock outcrops along the Eagle Creek Trail, Columbia River.
  • Common on rotting stumps in wet lowland on the Olympic Peninsula.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits:

  • Cup lichens in this genus can be moss-like in appearance.
  • They often exhibit upright fruiting stalks.
  • The "pixie cup" looks like a tiny cup, about 1/2 inch high.
  • Some species have funnel-shaped podetia tapering gradually towards the base.
  • Some species are greenish-grey with small cup-like structures arising from their thallus.
  • Some species have red apothecia and can be found in woods and in the fields.
  • The genus is shaped like Shreks&#39 Ears or miniature golf-tees (podetia), albeit somewhat battered and sand-blasted ones.
  • Cups are unbranched, round-toothed, and curled.

Ecological Role:

  • Cladonia species serve as a primary food source for reindeer and caribou.
  • As lichens, they are a symbiotic relationship between algae and fungus.

Quirky Facts

  • Historically, when boiled with milk or syrup, some *Cladonia* species have been used as a remedy for whooping cough and chest ailments.
  • Some people consider lichens amazing and are "in love" with them.