ITALIC 8.0

Cladonia cylindrica (A. Evans) A. Evans

Rhodora, 52: 116, 1950. Basionym: Cladonia borbonica f. cylindrica A. Evans - Trans. Conn. Acad. Arts & Sci., 30: 482, 1930.

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Distribution:

Description: Primary thallus squamulose, usually persistent, the squamules small, 0.5-1.4 mm long, 0.3-0.9 mm wide, crenate or more or less incised, grey-green to olive-green in upper part, white-arachnoid beneath, rarely becoming sorediate. Podetia grey-green (whitish in the parts where the soredia have fallen off), bacilliform, 0.3-0.8 (-1.8) cm tall, usually unbranched and with pointed ends, occasionally sparingly branched in upper part and/or with very small cups, granulose-sorediate, the soredia convex, sometimes isidioid or subsquamulose, the base non-melanotic, sometimes corticate, rarely squamulose. Apothecia rather rare, terminal, brown, convex. Asci 8-spored, clavate, thickened at apex, with a K/I+ blue tholus and a K/I+ strongly blue outer gelatinous sheath, Cladonia-type. Ascospores 1-celled, hyaline, ellipsoid. Pycnidia dark brown to black, semi-immersed in the tips of podetia, often also developing on the primary squamules. Conidia hyaline, curved. Photobiont chlorococcoid. Spot tests: K- or K+ yellowish slowly turning brown, C-, KC-, P+ red; medulla UV+ white-. Chemistry: fumarprotocetraric and grayanic acids.

Note: this species, widespread in eastern North America, has been recently reported as new to Europe (France) by Delhoume (2026). It is very similar to C. coniocraea and also has a similar ecology, differing in the presence of grayanic acid (UV+ white), the granulose soredia and the smaller squamules. Italian material of C. coniocraea should be scanned under UV to detect the presence of the species in Italy, which is possible.

Growth form: Fruticose

Substrata: bark, lignum, soil, terricolous mosses, and plant debris

Photobiont: green algae other than Trentepohlia

Reproductive strategy: mainly asexual, by soredia, or soredia-like structures (e.g. blastidia)

pH of the substrata:

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Solar irradiation:

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Aridity:

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Eutrophication:

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Poleotolerance:

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Altitudinal distribution:

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Predictive model

Wikimedia Commons - CC BY-SA 3.0 - Image Number 724364 at Mushroom Observer (cropped)

Oak Mountain State Park, Shelby Co., Alabama, USA ID by Jason Hollinger Based on microscopic features: UV+ fairly bright under squamules soredia isidioid-granular Based on chemical features: K- C- KC- P+y-o/r

Wikimedia Commons - CC BY-SA 3.0 - Image Number 724364 at Mushroom Observer

Oak Mountain State Park, Shelby Co., Alabama, USA ID by Jason Hollinger Based on microscopic features: UV+ fairly bright under squamules soredia isidioid-granular Based on chemical features: K- C- KC- P+y-o/r