Cladina stellaris (Opiz) Brodo

Star-tipped reindeer lichen, star-tipped cup lichen, star reindeer lichen

Similar species

	Cladina rangiferina	Cladina mitis
Common Name	gray reindeer lichen	green reindeer lichen
Plant	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.	Occurs in large mats on rocks or thin soils. Fruticose lichen (that is, shaped like a tiny shrub), composed of multiple branches from a main stem, like tiny trees 2–3½″ (5–8.9 cm) high. They may appear whitish, cream-colored, yellowish-green, or yellowish-gray.
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.	Boreal (cone-bearing) forests, on soil or thin soil on rocks. They may appear on clay, humus, turf, or even dead leaves. They are often found with mosses and grasses.

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

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