Lichen on old fence

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Beetleman
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Lichen on old fence

Post by Beetleman »

Found this lichen growing on an old fence. The wood was pretty rotten but not wet type of rotten..just very old. Makes for a nice little macro landscape. :D Cladonia deformis I think....

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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Very nice Doug! :D Not sure of the scientific name but I have often found these referred to as "Match Stick or British Soldier" lichens. :D
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Roy Patience
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Post by Roy Patience »

Doug,

What a fascinating scene! They look like red-topped trees.

Roy Patience

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MacroLuv
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Re: Lichen on old fence

Post by MacroLuv »

Beetleman wrote: ... Makes for a nice little macro landscape. :D Cladonia deformis I think...
Approved. :D Very attractive lichen.

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MikeBinOKlahoma
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Post by MikeBinOKlahoma »

This was a neat find. And what a name for them!
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Beetleman
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Post by Beetleman »

Thanks for the comments everyone. It really looks great as a wallpaper at 1280x1024. take care.
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DaveW
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Post by DaveW »

Doug & Mike

Just done a search and it's evidently Cladonia cristatella See:-

http://www.gloriamundipress.com/lichens ... atella.htm

DaveW

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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Dave W, an interesting link. :D Not extensive as far as lichens go but one good enough to identify the most commonly encountered species. Lichens are extremely hard to identify sometimes. I find them to be somewhat interesting but I do not research them or study them very much, not being particularly interested in lichenology. I happen to have a book on on them, however, that is quite informative "Lichens" by William Purvis. It's a small book, paperback, that really gives one a good introduction to these forms of life and it is fairly easy reading being that it trys to employ laymans terms instead of confusing one with scientific taxonmical jargon which will make most individuals lay a book down without further reading unless they are well versed in such things that do employ scientific taxons. :wink:
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MacroLuv
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Post by MacroLuv »

DaveW wrote:Doug & Mike

Just done a search and it's evidently Cladonia cristatella
Huh :roll: I always thought about "cristata" as another form of the same species. :-k

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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

MacroLuv wrote:
I always thought about "cristata" as another form of the same species.
I am not good at this but it may be that it belongs to the same family, just a different species within it. If you notice C. deformis is more cup shaped where as C. cristatella is cup shaped but to a lesser degree and is more branching. To get really into this we might could argue that this could be C. floerkeana but I suppose we won't. Here is a quote from "Lichens" by William Purvis, you will see what I mean. :D
"Cladonia is a large genus containing several hundred species and probably the first group of lichens beginners learn to recognize. They're morphologically variable, having subtle differences in their patterns of branching, cup shape, lack of cups, or the size of soredia coating the cups. Quite difficult to name or place to a species level, especially for those lacking cups, without first carrying out chemical studies."
I often use this taxonomical ploy when I am not sure of a species but of its Order, Sub order, or family i.e. Caldonia spp. (spp=meaning many species) :D
Last edited by Ken Ramos on Sun Jul 23, 2006 11:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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DaveW
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Post by DaveW »

MacroLuv

The specific epithet is "cristatella" not "cristata" which presumably indicates it is like or similar to a true cristate. Though looking like a cristate would normally have the epithet "cristatoides" I think, without looking up Stearns Botanical Latin?.

Being a cactophile we encounter many cristates as the family seems quite prone to them. These are plants where what would be the normal growing point develops in a line causing fan shaped, often convoluted growth.

Cristates are just one form of abnormal growth or monstrosity. The epithet "monstrosa" is usually reserved for multiple or excessive growing points producing abnormal branching, in the case of cacti from almost every areole.

DaveW

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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

You know I find posts like this interesting and amusing to a point. You never seem to know when a particular photograph can stir up a little controversy in discussion. :lol: Hey Doug!...ever feel you've started a "range war?" Good posts guys! :D
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DaveW
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Post by DaveW »

"(spp=meaning many species)"

Ken

People should be careful not to mix up your spp. (= a number of species) with ssp. (= subspecies).

The designation subspecies has now replaced the old infraspecific ranks of variety (= var.), form (= f. or fma.) etc in both Botany and Zoology.

For instance in the Cactaceae the former Mammillaria rubrograndis on being reduced to an infraspecific category under Mammillaria melanocentra is now written as:-

Mammillaria melanocentra ssp. rubrograndis

The correct way to render botanical and zoological names is with the generic name capitalised, but specific and subspecific names, wether named after a person or not, in lower case letters. The name should also be in italics as above, according the the IOBN Code as I understand it.

No doubt somebody will correct me if I am wrong because it is hard for the amateur to keep up with regular variations to the code of the International Organisation for Botanical Nomenclature (IOBN).

Dave Whiteley

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MacroLuv
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Post by MacroLuv »

Huh... This is going to be one long-term discussion. Very amusing and educative. :D

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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

MaroLuv replied :lol: :
Huh... This is going to be one long-term discussion.
Maybe so Nikola but Dave brought out an interesting point that I was not aware of, however, I am not well versed in botony and my primary interest lie in Protozoology and Mycology (Plasmodial Slime Molds to be more specific) Although study and research on Plasmodial Slime Molds (Myxomycetes) is usually carried out by botonists or so I have read. It seems odd that they are not researched more by mycologists and zoologist since they are both animal and fungi. :-k
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