Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Small

Diet

Decomposer

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

This lichen grows as tiny red-tipped stalks on decaying wood in damp forests. Its bright scarlet caps are actually reproductive structures that release spores.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   spore

   A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2. 2.
   mycelium

   A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3. 3.
   fruiting body

   A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Fungi

Phylum

Ascomycota

Class

Lecanoromycetes

Order

Lecanorales

Family

Cladoniaceae

Genus

Cladonia

Species

Cladonia cristatella