British Soldiers Lichen
British soldiers lichen (Cladonia cristatella) is a small lichen of eastern North America whose bright red, knob-like fruiting bodies sit atop pale gray-green stalks. They resemble the red-coated soldiers of the American Revolution.
British soldiers lichen (Cladonia cristatella) is a small lichen of eastern North America whose bright red, knob-like fruiting bodies sit atop pale gray-green stalks. They resemble the red-coated soldiers of the American Revolution.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open British Soldiers Lichen in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Opisthokonta lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Fruiting Bodies on Stalks
The red caps (apothecia) release the fungus's spores. The pale stalks, covered in granular scales, are the body of the lichen (podetia). It grows in colonies on old wood, stumps and acidic soil.
A Lichen of Disturbed Ground
The lichen readily colonizes decaying logs and bare sandy soil, particularly in open, sunny spots. The same genus includes the reindeer lichens of the tundra. See Reindeer Lichen.
Chemical Defenses
Cladonia lichens produce acids such as usnic acid, which protect against microbes and grazers and give a bitter taste.
British Soldiers Lichen at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Cladonia cristatella |
| Kingdom | Fungi |
| Phylum | Fungi |
| Class | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order | Lecanorales |
| Family | Cladoniaceae |
| Field Guide group | Opisthokonta: Fungi (True Fungi & Lichens) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Tiny gray-green stalks topped with bright red caps on rotting wood, named for the red coats of 18th-century troops. |
| Genus | Cladonia |
| Fruiting bodies | Bright red caps |