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Caribou Moss

Cladonia rangiferina

Photo by LarsKorb
Published on Project Noah
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53.4945, 10.3715

Field Notes

Description:

Small cluster of very adult Caribou Moss.
Don't get confused by it's common name - it's a lichen.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (18)
Dan Doucette
Yeah, I just saw that! It's amazing! He's lucky to live in one of the most diverse countries on earth.
LarsKorb
:) yea, getting closer...but you better don't look back at me chasing you ;) You'd better catch up with Sergio...he's close to 1300 ;)
Dan Doucette
Cool, looks like a mini forest. I see you're getting close to 1000 spottings too, keep it up Lars!
LarsKorb
Yea, saw it, liked it - and it shows exactly what I meant...the ends are way more filigrane than on the Caribou moss (wich is indeed confusingly also called Reindeer moss...sometimes scientists really astonish me.. ;))
arlanda
I just put a Cladonia portentosa, it looks much more fine divided than yours. It is also called reindeer lichen!!! :)
LarsKorb
How can help complicate, arlanda? - I thank you :) But your last suggest also looks too filigrane at it's ends to me. As for now, the Caribou moss matches best in my opinion. But I'll keep it in mind as uncertain. You can bet on that :)
arlanda
Sorry if I complicate things
arlanda
Sorry, I did not see your last comment. Does not look very much like http://www.lichens.lastdragon.org/Cladonia_rangiferina.html I found another one: Cladonia arbuscula http://www.lichens.lastdragon.org/Cladonia_arbuscula_arbuscula.html
LarsKorb
Thanks arlanda. It's pretty sure the C. rangiferina. I'd say more likely than the portentosa, because rangiferina is not that thin and filigrane like the portentosa.
arlanda
In any case it is a Cladonia sp., either C. portentosa, rangiformis or furcata.
arlanda
It is hard to say from that magnification. C. furcata has small holes at the axils, where the ramifications begin. C. furcata is very variable and I am not sure that always forms cussion like growth-cluster, see for example http://www.lichens.lastdragon.org/Cladonia_furcata.html
LarsKorb
Thank you for the suggest, arlanda - you really worked on your lichen expertise as it seems. But I am not sure about the suggest - look at this typical habitus of their cussion like growth-cluster: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cladonia_furcata_Molter.jpg
arlanda
Cladonia sp., maybe furcata, check http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/9372552
LarsKorb
Yea, that was crossing my mind as well, Argybee - looking really like a separated, micro forest

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Lichens
Photographed
PublishedMarch 6, 2012

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