''Cladonia uncialis'' is a species of

fruticose A fruticose lichen is a form of lichen fungi that is characterized by a coral-like shrubby or bushy growth structure. It is formed from a symbiotic relationship of a photobiont such as green algae or less commonly cyanobacteria and one, two or mor ...

cup lichen A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...

in the family Cladoniaceae. It was first described as a new species by Swedish taxonomist

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in 1753. It was transferred to the 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 ...

'' by

Friedrich Heinrich Wiggers Friedrich Heinrich Wiggers (15 March 1746 – 3 March 1811) was a German botanist who wrote a flora of Holstein in 1780. A number of variants of his name exist, including "Fridrich Hindrich" and the Latinisation "Fredericus Henricus" and the alter ...

in 1780. In North America, the lichen is colloquially known as the thorn Cladonia or the thorn cup lichen. ''Cladonia uncialis'' is host to the lichenicolous fungus species ''

Lichenopeltella uncialicola ''Lichenopeltella uncialicola'' is a species of fungus belonging to the class Dothideomycetes. The species was discovered in Iceland in 2010 where it was found growing on '' Cladonia uncialis''. Since then, it has been found on a different host s ...

'', which is named after ''C. uncialis''.

References

uncialis Lichen species Lichens of North America Lichens described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Lecanorales-stub