''Cladonia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

-like

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Cladoniaceae. They are the primary food source for

reindeer Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

/caribou. ''Cladonia''

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

are of economic importance to reindeer-herders, such as the Sami in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

or the Nenets in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Antibiotic An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of ...

compounds are extracted from some species to create antibiotic cream. The light green species ''

Cladonia stellaris ''Cladonia stellaris'' or the star-tipped cup lichen is an ecologically important species of cup lichen that forms continuous mats over large areas of the ground in boreal and arctic regions around the circumpolar north. The species is a prefer ...

'' is used in

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

decorations. Although the

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spec ...

of the genus ''Cladonia'' is still under investigation, two main morphological groups are commonly differentiated by taxonomists: the ''Cladonia'' morpho-type and the ''Cladina'' morpho-type. The ''Cladonia'' morpho-type has many more species, and is generally described as a group of squamulose (grow from squamules), cup-bearing lichens. The ''Cladina'' morpho-types are often referred to as forage lichens, mat-forming lichens, or reindeer lichens (due to their importance as caribou winter forage). ''

Cladonia perforata ''Cladonia perforata'' is a rare species of lichen known as Florida perforate cladonia and Florida perforate reindeer lichen. It is endemic to the state of Florida in the United States, where it is known from 16 populations in four widely separat ...

'' ("perforate cladonia") is one of two on the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Endangered Species List, and it should never be collected. It exists only in a few small populations in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Several ''Cladonia'' species grow on sand

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

s. The presence, and luxuriant carpet-like growth, of ''Cladonia'' species is one of the defining characters of

grey dune Grey dunes are fixed, stable sand dunes that are covered by a continuous layer of herbaceous vegetation. These dunes are typically located 50–100 meters from the ocean shore and are found on the landward side of foredunes (also known as yel ...

, a priority

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

for conservation under the

E.U. The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

Habitats Directive. ''Cladonia'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species including ''

Chionodes continuella ''Chionodes continuella'' is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found from most of Europe (except Ireland, Great Britain, the Iberian Peninsula, Switzerland and most of the Balkan Peninsula), east to Japan. It is also present in most of North ...

''.

Selected species

Selected species of ''Cladonia'' include:Walewski. Joe (2007). ''Lichens of the North Woods.'' Duluth, MN: Kollath+Stensaas Publ.

Gallery

Cladonia_apodocarpa_(EU).jpg, '' Cladonia apodocarpa'' Cladonia_caespiticia_(EU).jpg, '' Cladonia caespiticia'' Cladonia_coniocraea_(EU).jpg, ''

Cladonia coniocraea ''Cladonia coniocraea'', commonly known as the common powderhorn or the powderhorn cup lichen, is a species of fruticose, cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It was first described by Heinrich Gustav Flörke in 1821 under the name ''Cenomyce ...

'' – common powderhorn Cladonia convoluta 090308.jpg, '' Cladonia convoluta'' Cladonia cristatella EPA.jpg, '' Cladonia cristatella'' – British soldiers Cladonia_macilenta_9497.JPG, ''

Cladonia macilenta ''Cladonia macilenta'' or the lipstick cup lichen is a species of cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. The species is red listed in Iceland as an endangered species (EN).Náttúrufræðistofnun Íslands celandic Institute of Natural History(1 ...

'' var. ''bacillaris'' – lipstick cladonia Cladonia macrophyllodes 109105.jpg, ''

Cladonia macrophyllodes ''Cladonia macrophyllodes'', commonly known as the large-leaved cladonia or the large-leaved cup lichen, is a species of Cladonia, cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. See also *List of Cladonia species, List of ''Cladonia'' species Referenc ...

'' – large-leaved cladonia Cladonia_grayi_complex_(EU).jpg, '' Cladonia grayi'' complex Cladonia_parasitica_(EU).jpg, ''

Cladonia parasitica ''Cladonia parasitica'', commonly known as the fence-rail cladonia, fence-rail cup lichen or parasite club lichen, is a species of fruticose, cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It was first described by Hoffmann in 1784 under the name ''Li ...

'' Cladonia_peziziformis_(ECU).jpg, '' Cladonia peziziformis'' Cladonia_pleurota_(EU).jpg, ''

Cladonia pleurota ''Cladonia pleurota'' is a species of fruticose, cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It was first formally described as a new species by German lichenologist Heinrich Gustav Flörke in 1808 as ''Capitularia pleurota''. Ludwig Emanuel Schaerer ...

'' – red-fruited pixie cup Cladonia_subcariosa_(EU).jpg, ''

Cladonia subcariosa ''Cladonia'' is a genus of moss-like lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. They are the primary food source for reindeer/caribou. ''Cladonia'' species are of economic importance to reindeer-herders, such as the Sami in Scandinavia or the Nenets ...

'' Cladonia_subtenuis_(EU).jpg, ''

Cladonia subtenuis ''Cladonia'' is a genus of moss-like lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. They are the primary food source for reindeer/caribou. ''Cladonia'' species are of economic importance to reindeer-herders, such as the Sami in Scandinavia or the Nenets i ...

References

Anderson, R. (2009). ''Cladonia peziziformis'' (With.) J.R. Laundon (Lecanorales: Cladoniaceae) re-discovered in Co. Down. ''Ir. Nat. J.'' 30: 146. ---- Lecanorales genera Lichen genera Taxa described in 1756 {{Lecanorales-stub