- Cladonia
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Cladonia Cladonia portentosa Scientific classification Kingdom: Fungi Division: Ascomycota Class: Lecanoromycetes Order: Lecanorales Family: Cladoniaceae Genus: Cladonia
P. BrowneType species Cladonia subulata
(L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg.Species Cladonia cristatella
Cladonia rangiferina
Cladonia portentosa
Cladonia asahinae
and others (see text).Cladonia (cup lichen) is a genus of moss-like lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. They are the primary food source for reindeer and caribou. Cladonia species are of economic importance to reindeer-herders, such as the Sami in Scandinavia or the Nenets in Russia. Antibiotic compounds are extracted from some species to create antibiotic cream. The light green species Cladonia stellaris is used in flower decorations.
Although the phylogeny of the genus Cladonia is still under investigation, two main morphological groups are commonly differentiated by taxonomists: the Cladonia morpho-type and the Cladina morpho-type. The Cladonia morpho-type has many more species, and is generally described as a group of squamulose (grow from squamules), cup-bearing lichens. The Cladina morpho-types are often referred to as forage lichens, mat-forming lichens, or reindeer lichens (due to their importance as caribou winter forage).
Cladonia perforata ("perforate cladonia") is one of two on the U.S. Endangered Species List, and it should never be collected. It exists only in a few small populations in Florida.
Several Cladonia species grow on sand dunes. The presence, and luxuriant carpet-like growth, of Cladonia species is one of the defining characters of grey dune, a priority habitat for conservation under the E.U. Habitats Directive.
Cladonia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Chionodes continuella.
Contents
Gallery
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Cladonia cristatella (British Soldier)
See also
- Cladonia rangiferina, Cladonia portentosa (both known as Reindeer lichen)
Further references
Anderson, R. 2009. Cladonia peziziformis (With.) J.R. Laundon (Lecanorales: Cladoniaceae) re-discovered in Co. Down. Ir. Nat. J. 30: 146.
External links
Media related to Cladonia at Wikimedia Commons
Taxonomy of the Lichen families Show all lichen genera Ascomycota ArthoniomycetesArthonialesArthoniaceae • Chrysothricaceae • Melaspileaceae • RoccellaceaeCapnodiaceaeDacampiaceae • XanthopyreniaceaeEpigloeaceae • Arthopyreniaceae • Didymosphaeriaceae • Lichenotheliaceae • Microthyriaceae • Mycosphaerellaceae • Naetrocymbaceae • Parmulariaceae • Pseudoperisporiaceae • Pyrenotrichaceae • ProtothelenellaceaeChaetothyriomycetidaeHerpotrichiellaceaePyrenulalesMonoblastiaceae • Pyrenulaceae • Requienellaceae • TrypetheliaceaeVerrucarialesAdelococcaceae • VerrucariaceaeStrigulaceaeMycocaliciaceae • SphinctrinaceaeAcarosporomycetidaeAcarosporalesAcarosporaceaeLecanoromycetidaeLecanoralesAnziaceae • Arthrorhaphidaceae • Biatorellaceae • Caliciaceae • Candelariaceae • Cetradoniaceae • Cladoniaceae • Crocyniaceae • Dactylosporaceae • Gypsoplacaceae • Haematommataceae • Lecanoraceae • Lecideaceae • Loxosporaceae • Megalariaceae • Megalosporaceae • Mycoblastaceae • Ophioparmaceae • Parmeliaceae • Physciaceae • Pilocarpaceae • Porpidiaceae • Psoraceae • Ramalinaceae • Rhizocarpaceae • Stereocaulaceae • SphaerophoraceaePeltigeralesCoccocarpiaceae • Collemataceae • Pannariaceae • Lobariaceae • Nephromataceae • Peltigeraceae • PlacynthiaceaeRhizocarpalesCatillariaceaeTeloschistalesLetrouitiaceae • Microcaliciaceae • TeloschistaceaeBrigantiaeaceae • Coniocybaceae • Fuscideaceae • Phlyctidaceae • Umbilicariaceae • VezdaeaceaeAgyrialesAgyriaceae • Anamylopsoraceae • SchaereriaceaeCoenogoniaceae • GyalectaceaeGomphillaceae • Graphidaceae • Odontotremataceae • Solorinellaceae • Stictidaceae • ThelotremataceaePertusarialesIcmadophilaceae • Megasporaceae • PertusariaceaeTrichothelialesPorinaceaeArctomiaceae • HymeneliaceaeHelotiaceae • HyaloscyphaceaeLichinomycetesLichinalesGloeoheppiaceae • Heppiaceae • Lichinaceae • PeltulaceaeNitschkiaceaeBionectriaceae • Nectriaceae • NiessliaceaeHyponectriaceaeObryzaceaeLahmialesLahmiaceaeAspidotheliaceae • Mastodiaceae • Thelenellaceae • Baeomycetaceae • Coccotremataceae • ThelocarpaceaeBasidiomycota AthelialesAtheliaceae • LepidostromataceaeTremellomycetidaeTremellalesSyzygosporaceae • TremellaceaeAtractiellalesChionosphaeraceaePlatygloeaceaeReferences - Anderson, Heidi L. and Stefan Ekman. 2005. Disintegration of the Micareaceae (lichenized Ascomycota): a molecular phylogeny based on mitochondrial rDNA sequences. Mycological Research 109(1): 21–30.
- CABI Bioscience Databases. Available online at http://www.indexfungorum.org/.
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- Ekman, Stefan. 2001. Molecular phylogeny of the Bacidiaceae (Lecanorales, lichenized Ascomycota). Mycological Research 105(7): 783-797.
- Grube, Martin and Katarina Winka. 2002. Progress in understanding the evolution and classification of lichenized ascomycetes. Mycologist 16(2): 67-76.
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Categories:- Lecanorales
- Lichens
- Lecanoromycetes stubs
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