Cladonia arbuscula #

Taxon #

Cladonia arbuscula

Organization #

Clade Arbuscula (Stenroos et al. 2018)

Identification #

Often yellow and very pale especially when desiccated. Very similar to C. mitis in appearance. C. arbuscula has tips of the branches which are more obviously brown and at maturity appear combed to one side (Brodo et al. 2001) not unlike C. rangiferina but which otherwise looks quite different proportionally as C. arbuscula lacks the long main axil seen in C. rangiferina. C. stellaris is not so yellow and has small starburst-shaped branching at the tips.

Substrate #

Terricolous, bryocolous, rarely lignicolous

Chemical Tests #

Pd+ red in most specimens separates from C. mitis, K-, KC+ yellow, C-, UV- (Brodo et al. 2001)

Notes #

The subspecies found in Alaska is C. arbuscula ssp. beringiana

Photos #