''Cladonia sobolescens'', commonly known as the peg lichen, is a species of
fruticose lichen.
It is found in
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
eastern North America and
East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...
.
Taxonomy
''Cladonia sobolescens'' is classified in the
section ''Helopodium'' of genus ''
Cladonia
''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 ...
''.
According to Finnish lichenologist
Teuvo Ahti
Teuvo ("Ted") Tapio Ahti (born 1934) is a Finnish botanist and lichenologist. He has had a long career at the University of Helsinki that started in 1963, and then following his retirement in 1997, at the Botanical Museum of the Finnish Museum ...
,
Vainio's ''Cladonia clavulifera'' is a
synonym
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
.
''Cladonia sobolescens'' is
commonly known as the "peg lichen".
Description
The primary squamules of ''Cladonia sobolescens'' are rounded to strap-shaped, and range in color from greyish to green to brown, depending on the degree of sun exposure it has had. When growing vertically, a white lower surface may become exposed. The
podetia
A podetium (plural: podetia) is the upright secondary thallus in ''Cladonia'' lichens. It is a hollow stalk extending from the primary thallus. Podetia can be pointed stalks, club like, cupped, or branched in shape and may or may not contain the a ...
, which lack cups or
soredia, are short and peg-like, rarely branching once or twice near the tips. They are tall, topped with brown
apothecia that only slightly or not at all broader than the tips of the podetia.
The lichen contains
fumarprotocetraric acid as its main
secondary metabolite, and a smaller amount of
protocetraric acid.
It is a fumarprotocetraric acid
chemotype A chemotype (sometimes chemovar) is a chemically distinct entity in a plant or microorganism, with differences in the composition of the secondary metabolites. Minor genetic and epigenetic changes with little or no effect on morphology or anatomy m ...
of ''
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 ...
''.
Habitat and distribution
''Cladonia sobolescens'' is found in
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
eastern North America and
East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...
.
The northern limit of its North American range extends to
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
in Canada.
See also
*
List of ''Cladonia'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21157015
sobolescens
Lichen species
Lichens described in 1887
Lichens of Asia
Lichens of North America
Taxa named by Edvard August Vainio