Cladonia and others

[JennyS]

I was dredging through my hopeful-of-ID cladonia's folder again and came across the two below:

1. Cladonia furcata subsp. subrangiformis or is it just C. rangiformis? It was growing among moss on limestone grassland.




2. This one was on a moss covered branch in limestone hazel woodland......if it had been on a mossy rock I'd have wondered C. pocillum but wasn't sure whether the different habitat would discount that?




And by way of a break from cladonia ......
3. Neofuscelia species on a coastal granite boulder, but very uncertain as to which




4. Placynthium nigrum? On limestone above yet another bit of Collema




5. Spotty and clueless ..... on limestone boulder beside Verrucaria hochstetteri (?)



I must have been totally mad to get caught up trying to identify lichen!

[JennyS]

Might 5. be Petractis clausa?

[AlanS]

Originally Posted by JennyS

I must have been totally mad to get caught up trying to identify lichen!

Yes, I have to agree, But once bitten, it's difficult to break the habit, isn't it?

Anyhow:

1. Looks like good and typical Cladonia rangiformis to me. The diagnostic green 'islands' are visible on the surface.

I have not yet seen anything I would call Cladonia furcata subsp. subrangiformis, though I do see what some others call "Cladonia furcata subsp. subrangiformis"! It is an evidently dubious taxon, variously interpreted, but a key feature would seem to be the white warts towards the base of the podetia. Dobson's description looks good for it. At least some published photographs are fairly typical furcata in my opinion. In England, the most satisfactory material is apparently in chalk downland.
It may be no more than a growth form controlled by habitat.


2. Not C. pocillum - basal sqaumules are not imbricated, margins are not eroding. As to what it is, I would prefer to leave it for the time being. I have something similar to check out, with two possibilities in mind (one mundane, one much more poorly known), and until I have looked at my own material I shall keep silent.


3. Up to now I would have kept quiet on this too. However, having seen all four standard Neofuscelias in the past month, I shall no doubt display my overconfidence by pronouncing it Neofuscelia pulla.
Once the BLS have sent me my copy of the new lichen flora (and time they hurried up), I fear I shall start having to call it Xanthoparmelia pulla.


4. Yes, Placynthium nigrum, and I am still not doing Collemas!


5. Yes to the Petractis clausa. I would guess you are right about the Verrucaria hochstetteri too, but I have not made much attempt with Verrucaria yet.

Alan

[JennyS]

Thanks Alan, and I'll try and remember to re-post the second cladonia in a few weeks time
(Unfortunately the Verrucaria wasn't my ID - I'm not that brave!)