Image of Reindeer lichen

Description:

Slo.: ? - Cladonia portentosa (Dufour) Coem. (1865), syn.: Cladonia impexa Harm. (1907), Cladina portentosa (Dufour) Follmann, (1979)- Habitat: at the foot of a low elevation scree slope, among small, retarded Picea abies and Fraxinus ornus trees, southeast inclined mountain slope, calcareous ground, quite open, dry and sunny place, exposed to direct rain, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, elevations 650 m (2.150 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. - Substratum: nutrients poor sandy soil of scree ground. - Comments: This gray-green species of genus Cladonia, growing usually in 'broccoli-like pillows', is quite common locally. It can be found on dry, stony, deteriorating, long time ago abandoned pastures. Its main characteristics are rich, filigree branching and lack of tendency to one-sidedly oriented terminal branches with sharp apices (to the contrast to several other similar species where the branches' tips are more or lessoriented in the same direction). Growing was growing in several, mostly round patches in the vicinity. Round clumps measured up to 20 cm (8') in diameter and had about 5 cm (2') thicknesses. The largest 'continuous' mat found measured about 1 x 0.6 m (3 x 2 feet). Photographed species were in almost dry state. This determination seems quite probable but is not completely certain since no chemical tests have been made and several species with similar habitus exist. - Ref.: (1) F.S. Dobson, Lichens, The Richmonds Publishing Ca. LTD (2005), p 142. (2) C.W.Smith, et all, The lichens of Great Britain and Ireland, The British Lichen Society, (2009), p 319. (3) V. Wirth, Die Flechten Baden-Wrttembergs, Vol. 1. Ulmer (1995), p 334. (4) http://www.lichens.lastdragon.org/Cladonia_portentosa.html