The scientific name for pixie cup lichens is Cladonia asahinae
The Cladonia genus of lichens, which includes the pixie up lichen seen here, is the primary food sources for reindeer and caribou! Pixie cup lichens are a species of cup lichen in the Cladoniaceae family. This family of lichens includes several species that grow on sand dunes. Their presence is a primary characteristic of a grey dune, which is a priority habitat for conservation by the E.U. Habitats Directive. Let’s get close up to learn more about this species.
The scientific name for pixie cup lichens is Cladonia asahinae. It is also known as Asahina’s cup lichen. It is a species of cup lichen. They can be found in Europe, North America, Antarctica, and the southernmost part of South America. These green lichens will grow out of moss, and begin with a stalk with a cup like head. They can grow red nodules at the top of their stalks that give them their whimsical appearance. At their maximum, they grow to be about 1 inch tall, but they can be smaller than a quarter inch in height. The name for these “stalks” is podetium (the plural is posetia). It is the name for the upright secondary thallus in Cladonia lichens.
The podetium contains the asocarp, or fruiting body, of the lichen. The red feature you see in the photo is actually the asocarp for this species. Asocarps are made up of tightly woven hyphae, and they contain the spore bearing cells that allow the pixie cup lichen to reproduce. When the lichen reproduces, it first forms a prothallus, a fungal layer upon which an algae-containing thallus will eventually develop. The single-cell green algae that the thallus contains is the photobiont, or symbiotic partner of the lichen.
Sometimes you have to get in really close to see the beauty of nature. It only stands about ½ inch tall. I saw it while I was hiking in Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. The pixie cup was sprouted out of some moss that was growing on a log. Most days, I probably would have walked right on by it, but this day I was taking it slow. Next time you are in the woods and out for a brisk hike, try slowing down and zooming in close to see the wonders of the world that are all around us.
Asocarps are made up of tightly woven hyphae
Did you know?
- Five species of Cladoniaceae are classified as endangered, critically endangered, or vulnerable.
- Some Lepidoptera (the order that contains butterflies and moths) larvae eat Cladonia.
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