Cladina mitis (Green reindeer lichen)

Cladina mitis (Sandst.) Hustich

Cladonia arbuscula (Wallr.) Flotow ssp. mitis (Sandst.) Ruoss

Cladonia mitis Sandst.

Green reindeer lichen, reindeer lichen

Parents	Unknown	Genus is not in the current taxonomy
Genus	Cladina
Species	mitis	Not spiny

About plant names...

Green reindeer lichen is distributed throughout northern regions of the world.

Identification: Occurs in large mats on rocks or thin soils. Fruticose lichen (that is, shaped like a tiny shrub), 2-3½" (5-8.9 cm) high, yellowish-green to yellowish-gray, composed of multiple branches from a main stem, like tiny trees.

This close-up shows several hollow branches. · 4/24/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 1¼ × 1¼" (3.5 × 3.1 cm) ID is uncertain

	You are here Cladina mitis	*Cladina rangiferina*	*Cladina stellaris*
Common Name	green reindeer lichen	gray reindeer lichen	star-tipped reindeer lichen
Plant	Fruticose lichen, 2-3½" (5-8.9 cm) high, yellowish-green to yellowish-gray, composed of multiple branches from a main stem, like tiny trees.	Fruticose lichen, 2½-5" (6.3-12 cm) high, grayish white. Branches are hollow, and end branches often point in the same direction.	Photo by Pablo Alberto Salguero Quiles. Fruticose lichen, 2-4" (5-10 cm) tall, in compact rounded mounds. Pale green or yellowish. Heavily branched, with no main stem. Branches are hollow.
Habitats	Boreal (cone-bearing) forests, on soil or thin soil on rocks. Often with mosses and grasses.	Boreal (cone-bearing) forests, on soil or thin soil on rocks.	Boreal (cone-bearing) forests, on soil or thin soil on rocks.
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild

Online References:

Cladina mitis at Alan Silverside's Lichen Pages on LastDragon.org

Cladina mitis on Stephen Sharnoff Photography

Cladina mitis at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service

Cladina mitis on BorealForest.org

Cladina mitis on the Toolik↔Arctic Geobotanical Atlas

References:

Walewski, Joe, Lichens of the North Woods, Kollath+Stensaas Publishing, 2007, p. 38

4/24/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 2½" (9.8 × 6.6 cm) ID is uncertain

4/24/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 7.9 cm) ID is uncertain

8/2/2008 · Flying Mountain, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm)

9/19/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 1¼ × 1¼" (3.2 × 3.2 cm) ID is uncertain

9/19/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 6 × 9" (15 × 21 cm) ID is uncertain

Cladina mitis description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

Green on left, gray (Cladonia rangiferina) on right. · 8/3/2009 · 111 Near 119, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 15 × 10" (37 × 24 cm) ID is uncertain

9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 21 × 14" (52 × 34 cm) ID is uncertain

4/24/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 1¼ × 1" (3.5 × 3 cm) ID is uncertain

8/12/2009 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 11 × 7" (27 × 18 cm)

9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 12 × 17" (29 × 44 cm) ID is uncertain

7/11/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near NH Line, Dunstable, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)