Cladonia fimbriata (Trumpet lichen)

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Cladonia fimbriata (L.) Fr.

Trumpet lichen, cup lichen

Kingdom	Fungi	Mushrooms, lichens, gel fungi, yeasts, and molds; also called eukaryotes
Division	Ascomycota	Sac fungi
Subdivision	Pezizomycotina	Sac fungi with filaments
Class	Lecanoromycetes	“Lichenized” fungi
Order	Lecanorales	Mostly lichen-forming fungi
Suborder	Lecanorineae	Lichens
Family	Cladoniaceae	Reindeer moss, cup lichen, others
Genus	Cladonia	“Cup lichen”
Species	fimbriata	“Fringed”

About plant names...

The trumpet-like fruiting structures of these lichens (apothecia) are believed to help in distributing the spores—falling raindrops caught by the structures are splashed some distance, taking the spores with them.

Identification: The lichen and "trumpets" are gray-green in color. Each stalk is less than 1" (2.5 cm) in height. Several Cladonia members share these structures, so this ID is tentative.

Online References:

Stephen Sharnoff Photography

Lichens of Ireland

Alan Silverside's Lichen Pages on LastDragon.org

Wikimedia Commons

The Ecology of Commanster

The Stridvall Family Domain

References:

Walewski, Joe, Lichens of the North Woods, Kollath+Stensaas Publishing, 2007, p. 46

Cladonia major (K. Hagen) Sandst.

Cladonia fimbriata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

9/5/2009 · Willard Brook State Park, Orange Trail, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 2½" (8.6 × 7.2 cm) ID is uncertain