'Coral' type lichen for ID please ..

[jaybie]

These were growing in profusion on heathland. (Cladonia portentosa?)



There appears to be quite a few different lichens in the image below but it is the tall spindles in the centre that were profuse. (Cladonia glauca?) Mind you feel free to have a go at any others that are there



As an aside would the profuse nature of these have any indication of clean air?

Many thanks for any help, JohnB

[diggleken]

Originally Posted by jaybie

These were growing in profusion on heathland. (Cladonia portentosa?)



There appears to be quite a few different lichens in the image below but it is the tall spindles in the centre that were profuse. (Cladonia glauca?) Mind you feel free to have a go at any others that are there



As an aside would the profuse nature of these have any indication of clean air?

Many thanks for any help, JohnB

Hi John,
with my amateur eye and knowledge, I agree 1st looks good for C portentosa, the other looks a bit like C gracilis or uncialis, with either Cladonia floerkeana or bellidiflora showing red apothecia.
Cheers
Ken
ps I always think a good showing of portentosa is a clean air indicator, but these little tinkers do like nutrient, sea spray or dust based, so not too sure, but they certainly dont happen when its a poor environment full of pollutants.
K.

[poschiavanus]

These are all irritatingly familiar, and I could more or less give you chapter & verse on the features to check in the keys (for the top one: dichotomously branching, direction of branching, presence of 'holes' in the axils of branch nodes, ...), but then I start to dither over the interpretation of these features.

I think all the Cladonia you've photographed were ones which we saw at Clumber the other week.

For the top one I'd start with C. rangiformis or C. potentosa, perhaps favouring the former on the basis that branching seems to be dichotomous and it appears to have darker green islands on the podetia.

For the bottom picture, you've done my trick of including the interesting bright-red apothecia on the edge of the picture (possibly C. macilienta). My guess for the spindly ones would be C. coniocraea as most likely, although I'd like to see more of the basal squamules.

As for pollution indicators, Dobson places coniocraea in group 3, which is not very pollution insensitive. The problem is that acidification is no longer the issue it was, whereas excess nitrogen is what is making a big difference now.

Take all of this with a pinch of salt, 'cos I'm struggling with these under a 'scope!

Posch

[diggleken]

I'd go with Posch if I were you John..............
Cheers
Ken

[jaybie]

Thanks Gerry/Ken

If only life was easy but good information as always
JohnB

[poschiavanus]

This is where a reference collection makes a difference: I'd find these IDs a lot easier if I had correctly identified material to compare it with.

[AlanS]

Hi Jaybie

I hope you see this, as your original determinations were correct.

1) Cladonia portentosa. The principal branching is trichotomous, and the green 'islands' of algal cells are much less conspicuous (slightly more buried in the medulla) than they are in C. rangiformis.
[The green 'islands' character given in books is less useful than might be suggested, as they do not separate C. rangiformis from C. furcata, which can be a difficult separation, and all of the Cladina subgenus (C. portentosa and its allies) have this same character, though usually more hidden by the cortex except when damp.]

2) Main species is indeed C. glauca. Much taller and greyer than C. coniocraea, and quite different basal squamules, and C. coniocraea wouldn't grow in this very acidophilous community anyway. My concern was possible C. subulata, but at least some of the podetia can be seen to have the longitudinal fissures that characterise C. glauca, and they also have the peculiar apex of that species.

This is evidently a good example of acidic Cladonia heath. Cup-shaped podetia to the right include C. polydactyla (visible red pycnidia) and probably the podetia with bright red apothecia are the same, though C. diversa might be there too (needing closer examnination, not sure if some podetia have corticate granules). Centre left there may be a single cup of C. grayi - not enough for a positive ID, which includes chemical and UV testing anyway, but the appearance and microhabitat are right.

This looks to be a good place. Can you tell us where?

I wouldn't say that any of these species indicate "clean air".

Alan S.

[jaybie]

Hi Alan

Thanks for the response , really helpful and interesting.

The area is Sherwood Forest Golf Club SSSI near Mansfield. Nottinghamshire.

JohnB

[poschiavanus]

Originally Posted by jaybie

Hi Alan

Thanks for the response , really helpful and interesting.

The area is Sherwood Forest Golf Club SSSI near Mansfield. Nottinghamshire.

JohnB

Second Jaybie on this.

Now that we're seeing the Cladonia with red apothecia in Notts, perhaps we'll eventually get some nice photos of them!