Phil Bendle Collection:Cladonia confusa

Kingdom:  Fungi
Division:  Ascomycota
Class:  Lecanoromycetes
Order:  Lecanorales
Family: Cladoniaceae
Genus: Cladonia (Cup lichens)
Subgenus: Cladina
Species: C. confusa
Binomial name: Cladonia confusa
Synonym: Cladina leptoclada

Cladonia confusa is a member of cup lichens in the genus Cladonia which are moss-like lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. C. confusa is a finely, much-branched, entangled, slightly yellowish/creamy lichen that grows in fluffy patches throughout New Zealand on the forest floor, alongside wet tracks or bogs in subalpine areas.

The Cladonia species of lichen are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species.

Cladonia confusa is related to the reindeer lichens (Cladonia sp.) of the Arctic circle which are the primary food source for reindeer and caribou.

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Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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