Cladonia from Clumber Park

[poschiavanus]

In the rain today we walked through an area of young birch trees with lots of patches of Cladonia growing on and alongside the path. There seemed to be five species, with a representative collection of each in my hand here:



Numbered from 1 on the left to 5 on the right.

There were two with conical to trumpet-shaped podetia (3 and 5). One with small basal squamules and multi-tiered podetia (3), the other with larger basal squamules (5), the base of the podetia were squamulate and the podetia flared more towards the top. Working basis is around C. fimbriata/C. chlorophaea.

Two of the others had cylindrical podetia, with one showing being more tapered to the top (1), and the other being more obviously fertile (2). The latter is possibly C. coniocrea.

The last one (4) had tall branched podetia more or less cylindrical but overall producing a highly distinctive appearance.

We probably have better photos of 5, but given the weather conditions not of the others. I have vouchers. I haven't had a chance to look this up in keys, but have had a quick glance through AlanS Cladonia images.

I'd welcome any suggestions or guidance about these. Apologies in advance for skimpy photo, but a) it was wet & b) feedback before we finish might help with identification.

Thanks,

Posch

[AlanS]

Hi Posch,

The photo is rather small and detail is limited, and the samples rather fragmentary, so this response is a bit speculative.

1) C. coniocraea. Good material, spindle shaped, sorediate podetia, some slightly enlarged at the tips to form tiny cups, large basal squamules.

2) Need a better view. Might be C. ochrochlora, but looks rather immature.

3) Probably C. chlorophaea (agg.), but better view needed.

4) Looks like it is trying to escape. I wouldn't trust it. May just be deformed C. coniocraea, but basal squamules rather small.

5. C. fimbriata.


Alan

[poschiavanus]

Hi AlanS,

Thanks very much.

I've put rather better photos on the Clumber Park Foray thread here. I've loaded a few others which aren't linked to the thread. We also had one with red apothecia on the Sunday, which I missed until I noticed it in the corner of a photo. Kayleigh did get a decent shot, but probably missing diagnostic detail.



The species you mention are very much the ones I would expect: and oddly I'd be more confident if I didn't have such a range of material with some vouchers clearly a mix of two or more Cladonia sp.. Normally more than a single species patch of Cladonia in VC56 is rare, and the range of species small.

At the time the weather was awful (very wet), light was very bad and I had a cold at the time, so I'm afraid I was disinclined to try and take more photos. This was a quick post just in case someone like yourself came along and gave me a few hints before I returned to Clumber. Fortunately the weather was better on the following day and there was plenty of Cladonia growing on the rotting timber baulks at the edge of heathland, on the heath and on Birch trunks.

Interestingly there was a reasonable amount of evidence of foliocolous lichens growing on Rhododendron, Box and Yew.

I've had a quick look at vouchers with a hand lens, but have not yet put them under the stereo microscope. When I've done that I'll try and provide more notes with each specimen.

Thanks once again,

A somewhat rusty (with lichens),

Posch