Cladonia uncialis (L.) Weber ex Wigg. sl.

     Primary thallus formed of small scales which disappear quickly. Podetions up to 5 cm high forming small short bushes, prickly in dry weather, fragile, hollow and with a cylindrical section (like macaroni) but sometimes with bulging areas, with dichotomous divisions, sometimes perforated at the base, the terminal branches are very pointed, forked with 2, 3, 4, (5) slightly spiny branches sometimes arranged in a star shape, pinkish-brown, brownish, smooth and shiny surface without scales or soredia, with the appearance of snake skin in humid weather (but not very clear), cream-greenish, pale greenish-gray for tallus in shady places or pale yellowish, whitish, pale greenish for thallus in sunny places. Very rare apothecia, terminal, brown. Pycnidia rare, brown. Photobiont: trebouxioid. C-, K-, KC+ pale yellow, P-. Not particularly maritime species but not rare in humid aerohaline heaths of the seaside (Often with Cladonia portentosa).

N.B. We have described two taxa with various ranks: form, var. or subsp., not always retained by lichenologists because there are forms of passage between the two taxa but recent studies of molecular phylogeny seem to show that they are distinct and they have been preserved at the rank of subspecies because the differences are minimal:

Cladonia uncialis subsp. uncialis:

Branches with a fibrous to powdery internal surface and often perforated axils, frequently with endings with 3-4-5 branches (star-shaped around a perforation). Apothecia and pycnidia sometimes frequent.

Cladonia uncialis subsp. biuncialis:

Branches with a powdery internal surface and non-perforated axils with 2-3 branch endings (forked without perforation at the base). Very rare apothecia and pycnidia.