Reindeer lichen, Cladonia

Ahti, T. (1%1). Taxonomic studies on reindeer lichens Cladonia, subgenus Cladina). Ann. 

The Alkali-soluble Polysaccharides of the Lichen Cladonia alpestris (Reindeer Moss), G. O. Aspinall, E. L. Hirst, and (Mrs.) Margaret Warburton, J. Chem. Soc., 651... 

Lichen sensitivity to reindeer moss (Cladonia stellaris) is sometimes called woodcutter s disease in Europe and cedar poisoning or pine poisoning in... 

Hausen BM, Emde L, Marks V (1993) An investigation of the allergenic constituents of Cladonia stellaris (Opiz) Pous Vezda ( silver moss , reindeer moss or reindeer lichen ). Contact Dermatitis 28 70-76... 

Rout J, Kar A, Upreti DK (2005) Traditional remedy for kidney stones from a high altitude lichen Cladonia rangiferinah. Wigg (reindeer moss) of Eastern Himalaya. Ethnobotany 17 164-166 Ruiz Leal A (1972) Flora popular mendocina Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Aridas, Buenos Aires... 

Jaakkola et al (1967) and Jaakkola (1969) reported results very similar to those of Lounamaa (1965) with respect to Fe. They detected a higher content of inactive iron in the dead basal parts of reindeer lichens than in the living tops, i.e. about two to three times that of the top parts. In the case of Cladonia alpestris, the thallus of which changes gradually to an organic decomposed substratum, these high amounts of inactive iron apparently arise from the substratum. In addition to this, according to Jaakkola, the fallout iron Fe seemed to move relatively rapidly from the top part toward the base of the thallus. This movement seems to be unidirectional, because no comments on possible back diffusion exists. This kind of information on the mobility of metal nuclides within a lichen thallus is rare in the present literature. 

Another method of direct measurement can be used for certain fruticose lichens that are not attached to the substratum. Karenlampi (1971), for example, placed loose colonies of various reindeer mosses (Cladonia) in boxes on the forest floor. Every 1-4 weeks these were removed from the boxes, air-dried, weighed, and returned to the boxes without damage. A rather similar technique was tried by Miller (1966) for foliose lichens but with less success because of breaking up of the thalli. 

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