rock lichen help!

[diggleken]

Hi ,
grateful for any help with this, found yesterday on mossy stone here in the pennines.
Tentatively maybe a Ramalina or Usnea?
One for Alan stuck in snow still?

Cheers
Ken

[JennyS]

Hi Ken, its a Cladonia and probably C. furcata.
Now you'll have to wait for Alan for the definitive answer

[diggleken]

Wow Jenny, that was quick and thanks a lot, it does look very right.
Its a long process this lichen thing...............
Cheers
Ken

[AlanS]

I don't know about "definitive answer". I really think the owners of this forum should modify it so we carry out chemical tests on the subjects of the photographs.

However, despite it forming a more compact tuft than usual, I go along with Jenny's suggestion of C. furcata.

Alan
(snow gone again, but still waiting for definitive signs of Spring)

[Alain]

Possibly Cladonia furcata if K+ yellow.

Alain

[AlanS]

Originally Posted by Alain

Possibly Cladonia furcata if K+ yellow.

Alain

It is not always possible to separate immature C. furcata from immature C. crispata, but it's Pd, not K, that would give reliable separation on chemistry.

C. furcata has a variable and often weak or negligible reaction to K.

In the photograph here, the podetia, while not fruiting, are well developed and appear to be typical of C. furcata (given that C. furcata is a very variable species, like many other Cladonia spp.)

Alan