Cladonia for ID please

Tiggrx · #1 (**permalink**) 25-04-2009, 11:28 AM

Just a few of the abundant Cladonia sp. on the wall of an old sheep pen in Kielder Forest, Northumberland.

Is the tall branched one C. ramulosa? (I'm not very convinced by this ID)

C. diversa?

C. gracilis? - this one looks like it's in pain to me

Thanks for any help
Aaron

JennyS · #2 (**permalink**) 29-04-2009, 10:38 AM

Could be a case of the blind leading the blind on this one!

1. I wouldn't reckon C. ramulosa on this one, but don't know which it might be instead .....
2. Yes ...... unless its polydactyla........
3. I'm coming across a lot like these at the moment and can't figure anything other than pained C. gracilis for them .....

AlanS · #3 (**permalink**) 30-04-2009, 01:12 AM

I am reluctant to offer any opinion on these.

1. I think C. ramulosa is a valid suggestion and I don't have a better one. It is a very variable species and I don't understand it yet. For the moment, at least, I'll pass on this.

2. Yes, I would say C. diversa. I have been photographing a lot of C. diversa in the last few days (updates to my site in the fullness of time) and I believe I have my eye in for it. This fits well into its range of variation.

3. Does it help to say thet I have collected the same thing too, on old peat hags? I haven't had time to look at mine yet, though I am going to start with C. squamosa, do some chemical tests, and see where I go from there. Again, for the moment, I am not going to stick my neck out on this. It is not in the C. gracilis/crispata group though, podetial surface is much too squamulose.

Alan

Tiggrx · #4 (**permalink**) 30-04-2009, 05:45 PM

Thanks Jenny & Alan for the input. For some reason when I was in the field I thought they all looked so distinctive and then when I came to look them up I got so confused - glad I'm not alone in that

I have a few more (hopefully more distinctive) that I will post later on.