| TAXON: | Cladonia squamosa (Scop.) Hoffm. (1796) |
| RECENT SYNONYMS: | Cladonia squamosa var. subsquamosa |
| FAMILY: | Cladoniaceae |
| GROWTH FORM: | Secondary thallus fruticose, heteromerous (podetiate); primary thallus crustose, heteromerous (squamulose) |
| SUBSTRATES: | Soil, rotting wood, tree stumps, tree trunks, damp mossy rocks |
| PHOTOBIONT: | Asterochloris alga |
| REPRODUCTION: | Pycnidia; apothecia rare |
| ASCUS: | If present, elongate-clavate; apex thickened, with K/I+ blue tholus and deep-blue gelatinous outer sheath; 8 spores |
| SPORES: | Conidia curved; ascospores if present ellipsoid |
| NOTABLE FEATURES: | Podetia green to green-brown, with irregular branching and sometimes irregular, narrow, perforated scyphi, and with brown pycnidia or rarely clusters of small brown apothecia at tips; surface scabrid and peeling into abundant squamules, especially towards base |
| CHEMICAL TESTS: | Either UV+ white but otherwise negative (squamatic acid); or K+ yellow to orange, Pd+ yellow and UV- (thamnolic acid) |
| HABITAT: | Heathland, moorland, acid grassland |
| DISTRIBUTION: | Common in Britain, more locally in eastern areas |
| CONSERVATION STATUS: | Least Concern |
| LICHENICOLOUS FUNGI: | Arthonia colombiana |
| IDENTIFICATION DIFFICULTY: | Green 2: Field identification possible with care |
| CONFUSION SPECIES: | Cladonia scabriuscula |
FIELD NOTES
To be added. Note that Cladonia squamosa var. subsquamosa, which produces thamnolic rather than squamatic acid, remains a pragmatic recording name in Britain. It is not considered taxonomically justified, however, and such lichens are best thought of as chemotypes of C. squamosa rather than actual genetic variants.
LAB NOTES
Cladonia squamosa can be identified without miscroscopy.
SPECIMENS
Cladonia squamosa : England : VC27 East Norfolk : TM3188 : June 2025 : On mineral soil : First record for hectad : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Cladonia squamosa : Scotland : VC101 Kintyre : NR6974 : August 2024 : On mossy siliceous outcrop : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Cladonia squamosa : Scotland : VC98 Argyll : NR9897 : August 2022 : On mossy soil : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
