About:
A fruticose lichen with small forked lobes that has a green upper surface, a white lower surface, and stalks with brown reproductive structures taller than 4 mm.
Habitat:
Found in the Eastern United States and Canada, common on soil, mossy rocks, and at the base of rotting trees.
History:
Cladonia subcariosa was first described in 1876. C. polycarpoides and C. polycarpia have been described as chemotypes (a chemically different variant of a lichen whose morphology is the same) of C. subcariosa by Esslinger in 2008.
Structure:
While the squamules of C. subcariosa look similar to those of C. apodocarpa this lichen has stalks present, with fruiting bodies (apothecia) that are brown.
Fun Fact!
-The species name subcariosa is the Latin form of the word cariosus, the term for crumbly or rotten teeth. This is probably due to the squamules whose lower cortex are white like teeth.
Reference List:
-Cladonia subcariosa. Consortium of North American Lichen Herbaria. [accessed 2020 May 4]. https://lichenportal.org/cnalh/taxa/index.php?taxon=Cladonia+subcariosa&formsubmit=Search+Terms
-Cladonia subcariosa. Consortium of North American Lichen Herbaria. CNALH - Google Map. [accessed 2020 May 4]. https://lichenportal.org/cnalh/collections/map/googlemap.php?usethes=1&taxa=63782
- Cladonia subcariosa. NatureServe Explorer 2.0. 2018 [accessed 2020 May 4]. https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.827154/Cladonia_subcariosa
-Esslinger, T. L. 2008. A cumulative checklist for the lichen-forming, lichenicolous and allied fungi of the continental United States and Canada. North Dakota State University Press. [accessed 2020 May 4]. http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/esslinge/chcklst/chcklst7.htm