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Dieren en planten

Lichens   Lichen species in dunes   

Water en land

Mens en Milieu

Pollution   Sulfur   
  • Dut: Rendiermos
  • Lat: Cladonia rangiferina
  • Eng: Caribou moss, Reindeer moss
  • Ger: Rentierflechte

 

  • Dut: Elandgeweimos, Zomersneeuw
  • Lat: Cladonia foliacea
  • Ger: Blättige Cladonie

 

  • Dut: Rood bekermos
  • Lat: Cladonia coccifera

 

  • Dut: Gevorkt heidestaartje
  • Lat: Cladonia furcata

 

  • Dut: Rode heidelucifer
  • Lat: Cladonia floerkeana

 

  • Dut: Varkenspootje
  • Lat: Cladonia uncialis
  • Ger: Igel-Cladonie
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Lichen species in the dunes

The dunes are a difficult environment for most plants to grow. The open sandy surfaces don't offer much in the way of water or nutrients. Because lichens receive the majority of their needs from the air, such undesirable places for plants are exactly what lichens need: minor or no competition from others for light! In the dunes, lichens don't just grow on the ground. You also find them on trees and brick paths or stone buildings. However, compared to other types of nature areas, most dune lichen species are ground specialists. The most common species are the reindeer mosses and cup lichens. Unfortunately, very few of these species have common English names.

  • Caribou moss (reindeer moss)
    Caribou Moss, Ecomare

    Caribou moss, also called reindeer moss, is food for reindeer, caribou and other northern herbivores during polar winters. It grows in massive quantities in Arctic regions. The whole economy of the Sami (the people in the polar region, formerly called Laplanders) is dependent upon this lichen. In more southern areas such as the Netherlands, caribou moss grows in places where most plants don't grow, such as extremely dry calcium-poor southern dune slopes and dry heath lands.

    It's not difficult to see how this lichen got its name. The individual 'branches' have a close resemblance to caribou and reindeer antlers. There are various species of lichen that look the same when observed from a distance. However, the differences are obvious when using a magnifying glass. Some of the look-alike species are listed on the Dutch Red List for threatened lichens.

    Caribou moss-like lichens are often used in flower decorations, particularly during Christmas. These lichens are not all that common in the Netherlands and therefore it is wise to use this decoration sparingly. Soaking the dried stiff lichen in water restores its softness, making it easy to reuse for a new flower arrangement!

  • Cladonia foliacea

    The Dutch nickname for this lichen is 'summer snow'. On a warm dry summery day, this lichen curls up its 'leaves', exposing its white underside. And indeed, it looks a lot like flakes of snow. Cladonia foliacea is fairly common in dunes and in scanty grasslands. Unlike caribou moss, this lichen grows in calcium-rich as well as calcium-poor dunes. The 'leaves' have a resemblance to moose antlers, which explains its common Dutch name 'moose antler moss'. C. foliacea grows in loose sods and is rarely confused with any other lichen. Only Cladonia cervicornis curls up its thallus like C. foliacea. But C. cervicornis develops cups, which is much less developed or lacking in C. foliacea.

  • Cup lichen: Cladonia coccifera

    Cup lichens are usually easy to recognize by their stem topped off with a cup or a saucer. They don't often have common English names. One of the species most often found in Dutch dunes is Cladonia coccifera. When exposing its bright red fruiting body, the yellow-green bluish tinted C. coccifera is an eye-catcher. However, it's not always reproducing and you may only see cups and stems covered in a mat of small leaves.

    Besides dunes, C. coccifera also grows between moss and grass in woods, wind-blown sand drifts and heath fields. It is a pioneer on bare wind-blown sand. C. coocifera doesn't just grow on the ground. It also uses rotting wood and trees stumps as a base, as long as it gets sufficient sunlight. Although it can also grow on living trees and old bricks or stones, it is much less common. It's easy to confuse this lichen with C. floerkeana.

  • Cladonia furcata

    There are several species of lichens found in the dunes which have straight stems and grow in a bushy manner. You can identify them by their tips. Cladonia furcata is one such common dune species. The stems of C. furcata are irregularly branched and split at the top and the tips are often brown. This lichen also grows in dune grasslands and along paths in heather fields. It is easily mistaken for the caribou moss C.rangiformis.

  • Cup lichen: Cladonia floerkeana

    Although Cladonia floerkeana is considered a cup lichen, it doesn't form cups. The thallus is made up of straight stems. It is a pioneer, forming loose sods. Just like Cladonia coccifera, it has red fruiting bodies but they are often no wider than the head of a match. No wonder this lichen is has the Dutch name 'red heather match'. Although these two species grow in the same kind of habitats and look alike with their redness, C. coccifera is broader and brighter red in color. Beside its fruiting body, C. floerkeana is green-gray and has a rough surface. It is extremely common in dunes but also grows on the ground in heath lands, wind-blown sands and on thatched roofs.

  • Cladonia uncialis

    Cladonia uncialis is another one of those bushy lichens. It can be regularly or irregularly branched, stand up straight or lay flat and often has a marbled look. The tip is split and usually has a brown or black color. Because it has no scales, it's not often confused with other lichens. The Dutch call this lichen 'pig's foot' because using one's imagination, the tips look like a pig's split hoof. Germans find the lichen as a group resembling more of a hedgehog and call it 'hedgehog cladonia'. C. uncialis is common in the dunes along the coast and on sand grounds more inland.

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