''Cladonia subradiata'' is a widely distributed species of
fruticose lichen in the family
Cladoniaceae. It is found in Asia, Africa,
Melanesia, Australia, New Zealand, and South, Central, and North America.
Taxonomy
The lichen was originally
described as a
variety of ''Cladonia fimbriata'' by Finnish lichenologist
Edvard August Vainio
Edvard August Vainio (born Edvard Lang; 5 August 185314 May 1929) was a Finnish lichenology, lichenologist. His early works on the lichens of Lapland (Finland), Lapland, his three-volume monograph on the lichen genus ''Cladonia'', and, in parti ...
in 1894. The
type specimen, collected in 1885, was found in
Minas Gerais, Brazil, in the Caraça Mountains, at an elevation of .
German botanist
Heinrich Sandstede Heinrich may refer to:
People
* Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
*Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of p ...
promoted it to distinct species status in 1922.
Description
''Cladonia subradiata'' has a scaly primary
thallus that is small and stands erect. The
podetia are whitish, measuring long, abundantly brown, rarely branched, acute or forming, tiny cups, with small scales, especially at the base.
Apothecia are scarce; when present, they are reddish or brown, and spherical.
In terms of
lichen spot test
A spot test in lichenology is a spot analysis used to help identify lichens. It is performed by placing a drop of a chemical on different parts of the lichen and noting the colour change (or lack thereof) associated with application of the chemical ...
s, ''Cladonia subradiata'' is PD+ red and K−. It contains the lichen substances
protocetraric acid,
fumarprotocetraric acid,
ursolic acid, and the chemically uncharacterized compounds called Cph-1 and Cph-2.
''Cladonia subradiata'' has been confused with ''
Cladonia balfourii'';
these species can be separated by chemistry.
According to
Index Fungorum, however, these species are
synonymous
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 ...
.
Habitat and distribution
This species is widely distributed in Central and South America, extending to North Carolina in North America. In South America the lichen has been collected from Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay,
and Guyana.
It has also been recorded from Asia, Africa, Papua New Guinea,
New Caledonia
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, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of New Caledonia
, map_caption = Location of New Caledonia
, mapsize = 290px
, subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
, Australia, and New Zealand. ''Cladonia subradiata'' grows in primary
montane rainforest
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...
s, preferring substrates such as
humus
In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...
and boulders.
See also
*
List of ''Cladonia'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q10454254
subradiata
Lichen species
Taxa named by Edvard August Vainio
Lichens described in 1894
Lichens of Africa
Lichens of Asia
Lichens of Australia
Lichens of Central America
Lichens of North America
Lichens of New Zealand
Lichens of Oceania
Lichens of New Guinea
Lichens of South America