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Cladina rangiferina (L.) Nyl.

Gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen

Identification: Occurs in large mats on rocks or thin soils. It is a fruticose lichen (that is, shaped like a tiny shrub), 2½–5″ (6.3–12 cm) high, grayish white. Branches are hollow, and end branches often point in the same direction, looking “windswept,” tips may be brownish. (Model railroad enthusiasts use these lichens to create realistic-looking scale-model trees.)

Habitats: Found in hot and cold climates in well-drained, open environments, but this cold-hardy species is especially fond of areas of alpine tundra.

Similar species.

Online References:

Wikipedia

BorealForest.org

References:

Walewski, Joe, Lichens of the North Woods, Kollath+Stensaas Publishing, 2007, p. 84

Cladonia rangiferina (L.) F.H. Wigg.
Cladina rangiferina (L.) Nyl. ssp. grisea (Ahti) Ahti & Lai

 

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

9/16/2016 · Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail, Bar Harbor, Maine

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

5/5/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

9/17/2023 · Sprague Pond Preserve, Basin Preserve, Phippsburg, Maine

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

9/16/2016 · Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail, Bar Harbor, Maine

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

8/14/2015 · Roost Trail, Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm)

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

Also Juniper Polytrichum Moss (Polytrichum juniperinum Hedw.) · 8/3/2009 · 111 Near 119, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 2½ × 2′ (86 × 57 cm) ID is uncertain

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

9/5/2009 · Orange Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 6″ (18 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

5/5/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

9/5/2009 · Orange Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

8/14/2015 · Roost Trail, Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm)

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

5/6/2023 · Higgins Mountain, Georgetown, Maine

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

5/5/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

9/16/2016 · Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail, Bar Harbor, Maine

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

5/6/2023 · Higgins Mountain, Georgetown, Maine

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

Also Juniper Polytrichum Moss (Polytrichum juniperinum Hedw.) · 8/3/2009 · 111 Near 119, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 10 × 7″ (26 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

Gray on right, green (Cladina mitis) on left. · 8/3/2009 · 111 Near 119, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 15 × 10″ (37 × 24 cm) ID is uncertain

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

4/3/2010 · Mt. Battie (Elev. 780'), Camden, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

9/16/2016 · Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail, Bar Harbor, Maine

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

5/6/2023 · Higgins Mountain, Georgetown, Maine

Cladina rangiferina (gray reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen, reindeer moss, greygreen reindeer lichen)

4/14/2016 · Friend’s Loop Orange Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (14 × 12 cm)

ParentsUnknownGenus is not in the current taxonomy
GenusCladina
Speciesrangiferina

About plant names...

Cladina rangiferina description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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