Cladonia chlorophaea (Flörke ex Sommerf.) Spreng. s.l.

      Primary thallus formed of small more or less incised squamules, upper surface gray-greenish, lower surface whitish. Podetions 1-3 cm high, gray-greenish, greenish-brown, gradually widening forming a cup (scypha), granular and irregularly corticated, the internal surface of the cup is covered with fine granular soredia, the external surface is sometimes corticated. The margin of the cup is often irregular and denticulate by small proliferations in the form of digitate elements and sometimes new scyphs are formed on this margin, see: Cladonia chlorophaea forma. Rather large apothecia, sometimes stalked, frequent at the margin of cups, brown. Photobiont: trebouxioid. C-, K- or K+/- yellow very rarely K+ yellow and then see Cladonia cryptochlorophaea, KC+ brownish, P+ red, UV-,  (but many related taxa with different chemistry have been described, see below). Common species in dunes in the process of invasion by vegetation in particular by the Pinus.

N.B. It would be preferable to consider a group of Cladonia chlorophaea because there would be many taxa reported under this name and in particular Cladonia grayi  G. Merr. ex Sandst. sunny and open acid dunes which presents scyphs with warty soredia and a pink-purplish colorations, in the photographs presented here some scyphs are purplish but we think it is a simple form in the middle of scyphus not purplish because the dune of the harvest was limestone (Dunes from Ploudalmézeau to Helichrysum), but this taxon, which is difficult to interpret, seems to present intermediaries with Cladonia chlorophaea. Also watch out for Cladonia humilis which looks like a miniature of Cladonia chlorophaea but has large basal squamules and is K + yellow and P + red.

    In this group we have been able to separate a certain number of taxa on chemical criteria, unfortunately for the moment it is hardly possible to find correlations with their macroscopic aspect which makes their identification difficult and has multiplied the interpretations which vary from the rank of species to a simple form and even to a synonymization !.

Cladonia asahinae JW Thomson Nordic taxon. C-, K-, KC-, Pd + red, UV-.

Cladonia cryptochlorophaea Asah. Taxon which would be quite frequent. C +/- yellow, K + yellow, orange, red, KC + purple to wine lees, P + orange red, UV + pale yellow.

Cladonia grayi G. Merr. ex Sanst. C-, K-, KC-, P +/- red, UV + mauve.

Cladonia merochlorophaea var. merochlorophaea Asah. Frequent taxon. C + fleeting pink, K-, KC + wine red, P + red-orange, UV + pale blue.

Cladonia merochlorophaea var. novochlorophaea Sipman. Quite rare. Warty podetions, fully soredate, turning dark brown in old age. C + yellow, K-, KC-, P + red-orange, UV + white.