pixie cup lichens

Cladonia

Summary 2

Cladonia (cup lichen) is a genus of moss-like lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. They are the primary food source for reindeer and caribou. Cladonia species are of economic importance to reindeer-herders, such as the Sami in Scandinavia or the Nenets in Russia. Antibiotic compounds are extracted from some species to create antibiotic cream. The light green species Cladonia stellaris is used in flower decorations.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Ilja Klutman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/41403643@N00/42809263
  2. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cladonia

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