Cladonia gracilis (L.) Willd.
Primary thallus made of basal squamules up to 2 mm, indented, grey-greenish soon mostly disappearing. Podetia 2-10 cm tall, slender, sparingly branched, pointed at apices or usually some with a small and shallow terminal scyphus, 1-2 mm diam., not perforated, often with dentate margins, sometimes proliferating from rim, grey-greenish, olive when moist to brownish when dry, most often becoming dark brown towards the base. Apothecia rare, at apices of podetia, dark brown. Pycnidia frequent. Photobiont: trebouxioid. C-, K-, KC-, P+ red, UV-. Common on acid sandy soils of heathlands. N.B. Not to confuse with Cladonia furcata s. l. that is devoid of scyphus and displays hollowed podetia and from Cladonia crispata var. cetrariiformis of which scyphi are perforated. N.B. Very often, with regard to our prospecting areas, in the company of Cladonia portentosa.
