Cladonia chlorophaea (Flörke ex Sommerf.) Spreng.
Cenomyce chlorophaea Flörke in Sommerf., Suppl. fl. lappon.: 130 (1826).
Primary squamules persistent or disappearing, small to medium 4-7(-15) × 10 mm, incised-crenate or laciniate-lobed, margins crenate, ascending, ± involute, concave, upper surface glaucescent or olive-glaucescent or pale glaucescent, dull or rarely shining, lower surface white, darkening towards base, esorediate, or with sparse, granular soredia on lower side. Podetia variable in size, to 40 mm tall, flaring gradually into goblet-shaped, regular or irregular cups, proliferating at margins, sometimes forming several tiers. Cortex areolate or verruculose, granular-corticate, glaucescent or ashy to olivaceous, upper parts of podetia and inner surface of closed cups decorticate, granular-sorediate, decorticate areas whitish. Apothecia sessile or stipitate, from cup margin, brown. Chemistry: Cortex K-, rarely K+ yellow, KC-, Pd+ red. Fumarprotocetraric acid and atranorin.
N: S: St: Throughout, s.l. to 1500 m. Very widespread and common; on clay banks, damp roadside banks, sandy turf, soil in grassland, below Leptospermum scrub, moss in subalpine heaths, among tussock bases, on rotting logs and shaded rocks among tussocks.
Cosmopolitan
C. chlorophaea is similar to C. pyxidata but is sorediate. Cups are wide in relation to length of supporting podetium and the cup membrane is always farinose or granularsorediate. The species and others related to it are discussed by Ahti [ Annls bot. fenn. 3: 380-390 (1966)], and by Sipman [ Acta bot. neerl. 22 (5): 490-502 (1973)].
