Cladonia cristatella Tuck., 1858
| Common name | British Soldiers | Code: CLADCRS |
|---|---|---|
| Field Characters | Fruticose, club-like chlorolichen. Primary squamules small, often persistent, with laminal, barrel-shaped pycnida with red ostioles. Podetia short (1-3 cm), greenish-yellow, branching 1-2 times. Podetia not cupped, topped with large, crimson red apothecia. Lacking soredia but may have secondary squamules. The bright red apothecia (or arrangement of apothecia sometimes giving the illusion of cups) combined with the lack of soredia or true cups are diagnostic. | |
| Similar species |
Cladonia bellidiflora: cupped, UV+ blue white, very rare in Alberta | |
| Ecology | Common in dry forests, particularly in eastern Alberta, on moss, wood or soil, often intermixed with Cladonia botrytes and Cladonia crispata. In Edmonton, found in river valleys and ravines (Haughland et al. 2022). | |
| Chemistry | PD-, K-, KC+ yellow, UV- or UV+ yellow-white (usnic acid, barbatic acid, ±didymic acid) | |
| Molecular support |
Species-level support: uncertain, a single sequence formed a clade with either C. metacorallifera Asahina (Stenroos et al. 2002) or C. camerunensis Ahti & Flakus (Stenroos et al. 2018). | |
| Links | ||
| Gallery |
-
- Cladonia cristatella, ALTA collection
-
- Cladonia cristatella, Opal Natural Area, AB
-
- Cladonia cristatella with C. gracilis subsp. turbinata, Opal Natural Area, AB
-
- Cladonia cristatella, Opal Natural Area, AB
-
- Cladonia cristatella, Opal Natural Area, AB
-
- Cladonia cristatella with C. botrytes, Richardson River Valley, AB
-
- Cladonia cristatella, Lac la Biche region, AB
