Monday 20 December 2010

Reindeer Moss

I think this is a species of Cladonia, a type of lichen known in English as Reindeer Moss and lichens des rennes in French. Luckily, the Mobile International Bryophyte-Lichen Team (MIBLT) are due here any day now - only five more sleeps to go, in fact. All I have to do is leave a good sized sample of the lichen, some alcohol and a note asking them to identify it on my mantlepiece on the evening of 24 December, and when they visit during the night they will provide the answer for me to find in the morning. I assume the alcohol is necessary for some of the diagnostic chemical reaction tests.

Growing on the old railway track between Preuilly and Chaumussay.
I am surprised at how few people know of this excellent auxilliary service that the Klaus Corporation provides. It's an efficient and creative example of the sort of multi-tasking undertaken by streamlined and switched on modern organisations, although I note that even the most well-known female members of the team have had operate in the workplace like males.

On the roadside in the forest near Preuilly.

Close up detail.
Susan

4 comments:

Tim said...

Yup, looks like reindeer moss to me but much more open than on the British heaths and moors. I love the Cladonia lichens because in close up they are so intricate especially the Fairies Matchstick ones.
A lass I was at college with was a porcelain potter and she did a complete series of vases based on the Cladonia variety Pixies Cap...
they were almost completely transparent because she raised the paste as if it was a pork pie mix.

Vord Werricifation is "Dositab".... some kind of cat pill applicator?

Anonymous said...

That looks like what I know as reindeer moss from Maine, in the US. If not the same thing exactly, perhaps kissing cousins. About the same latitude as you, too. People there add it to Christmas wreaths as surface decoration.

Susan said...

Tim & Anon: thanks. There are lots of species, but 'reindeer moss cladonia sp' is close enough for me at the moment.

Tim said...

We've got as far as the NatHist Guides boxes... I'll add some latin names to post comments when we've unpacked them.
The word this comment is....
Supsi
so I'll go and have a drink!
Any excuse, any excuse!

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