Cladonia stellaris (Opiz.) Pouzar & Vezda

     No primary thallus. Erect podetions 4-10 cm high, gathered in balls or mats, branched but not forming trunks, sometimes pierced in the axils, smooth and without scales, ending in small points arranged in a 4-6-pointed star, which can bear brownish pycnidia with red jelly, the entire podetions are white, whitish. C-, K-, KC-, P-. Very rare species in France (limited to alpine regions) common in moors and arctic and boreal forests where it tolerates being covered with snow for long periods. This species can cover large areas and allows caribou and reindeer to feed in winter, even under snow.

N.B. We present this species here because it has been, and is even still sometimes confused in France:

_ On the plain: with certain forms of Cladonia portentosa more branched and with "trunks" and especially whose ends of the podétions are not star-shaped (only 2-3 points).

_ In the mountains: with Cladonia rangiferina whose podétions end in points directed in all directions and which is K+ yellow and P+ orange.