Key to fruticose or dimorphic lichens 1a Lichens dimorphic, composed of a fruticose part and a crustose or squamulose part; fruticose thallus

containing algae or not, usually producing ascocarps or basidia; crustose or squamulose thallus containing algae, not producing ascocarps or basidia (NOTE: isidia are not a fruticose thallus part)---2 1b Lichens uniformly fruticose; fruticose thallus containing algae, and ascocarps, if present---21 2a Fruticose thallus without algae, producing basidia (basidiocarp), subulate or mushroom-shaped---3 2b Fruticose thallus often with algae, producing ascocarps, often branched ("podetia")---6 3a Fruticose thallus subulate---4 3b Fruticose thallus mushroom-shaped---Omphalina 4a Algae-containing thallus crustose---5 4b Algae-containing thallus squamulose---Lepidostroma 5a Fruticose thallus 2-4 x 0.2-0.4 mm; basidia 6-8-spored---Clavulinopsis 5b Fruticose thallus usually over 1 cm long---Multiclavula 6a Primary thallus crustose; podetia mostly not branched and bearing a single apothecium---7 6b Primary thallus squamulose; podetia often branched and often without apothecia--10 7a Apothecia lateral, elongate---Icmadophila 7b Apothecia terminal, disc-like to globose---8 8a Cephalodia present on crustose thallus---Pilophorus 8b Cephalodia absent---9 9a Apothecia brown, when young with flat disc and distinct margin---Baeomyces 9b Apothecia whitish to pink, usually with convex disc and thin or disappearing margin---Dibaeis 10a Fruticose thallus branches hollow, often branched and without ascocarps; ascocarps red or brown---Cladonia 10b Fruticose thallus branches solid, usually unbranched and with terminal ascocarp; ascocarps pink---Phyllobaeis 21a (1) Thallus branches hollow---22 21b Thallus branches solid, with arachnoid or more compact central tissue---30 22a Thallus surface glossy, pale brown to brown, with usually frequent perforations or pseudocyphellae; terrestrial, occasionally on mossy tree trunks---23 22b Thallus surface dull, usually whitish, greenish or greyish; perforations usually absent or restricted to axils of ramifications---24

23a Branches 0.5-2 mm thick; true perforations present---Cladia 23b Branches 0.2-0.5 mm thick; pseudocyphellae present, rarely perforated---Oropogon 24a Thallus branches with squamules, especially at the base---Cladonia 24b Thallus without such appendages---25 25a Epiphytic or on mossy banks; pseudocyphellae or tiny perforations frequent---26 25b Terrestrial, occasionally on decaying tree stumps or among mosses on rocks or trees; pseudocyphellae or tiny perforations absent---27 26a Thallus branches thin, rarely over 0.5 mm wide, whitish---Oropogon 26b Thallus branches thick, usually over 1 mm wide, greenish grey---Ramalina 27a Thallus richly branched, the branches connected by ca. 0.1 mm long anastomoses--Carassea 27b Thallus more or less branched, without anastomoses, the branches at most sticking to eachother where touching---28 28a Thallus whitish grey, subulate, with smooth surface---Thamnolia 28b Thallus greenish grey to brown, with smooth or tomentose surface; sometimes whitish spots present, these tomentose---29 29a Thallus surface slightly arachnoid, without cortex---Cladina 29b Thallus surface at least in part smooth, with thin cortex---Cladonia 30a Thallus branches with tough central strand, which stretches and becomes visible between the fragmenting outer layer by moderate pulling---Usnea 30b Thallus branches without tough central strand, breaking completely by pulling---31 31a Epiphytic species, occasionally on dead wood---32 31b Epilithic or epigaeic species, occasionally on mossy tree bases---45 32a Thallus branches flattened, usually over two times wider than thick---33 32b Thallus branches mainly cylindrical, or with scattered flattened sections---35 33a Thallus with ca. 0.1-0.2 mm long, stiff hairs composed of bundled hyphae; apothecium disc orange, K+ darkviolet; only on the pacific coast of Peru---Seirophora 33b Thallus not hairy; apothecium disc not orange (when orange, see Teloschistes)---34 34a Thallus greenish grey, over 2 cm long when full-grown, often pendant---Ramalina 34b Thallus whitish, c. 1 cm long when full-grown, erect; surface smooth---Siphula 35a Thallus, at least in part, yellow, K+ purple---Teloschistes 34b Thallus bluish grey or greenish to whitish yellow, K----36 36a Thallus greenish grey to brown; with green algae---37 36b Thallus bluish grey to black, basal branches sometimes whitish; branches more or less cylindrical; with blue-green algae---41

37a Thallus branches with granular to tomentose surface, grey to blue-grey---38 37b Thallus branches with smooth surface, greenish grey to brown---39 38a On thick tree trunks in rain shade in humid forest; branching dendroid with flattened terminal branchlets; widespread in montane forest---Leprocaulon 38b On shrub branches or exposed cliffs; branching more irregular; dry coastal areas of Peru and Chile---Tornabea 39a Thallus branches flattened, composed of chains of apothecia; rare, small lowland plant on twigs and leaves---Polystroma 39b Thallus branches usually several cm long, cylindrical; more or less widespread---40 40a Thallus brown; branches usually under 0.5 mm wide, slender and much branched; only at high elevations---Bryoria 40b Thallus greenish grey; branches usually over 0.5 mm wide; widespread (see also couplet 51-52)---Ramalina 41a With more or less scattered tomentum; no apothecia; thallus with multilayered cortex, not gelatinous---Dendriscocaulon 41b Without tomentum; no apothecia; thallus with multilayered cortex, not gelatinous--Coccocarpia 41c Without tomentum; apothecia usually present; thallus with cortex composed of single cell layer or without cortex, gelatinous---42 42a Richly branched; main branches up to 0.1 mm wide; apothecia common (upland); cortex composed of a single cellular layer; algae Scytonema, gelatinous---Polychidium 42b Sparingly branched; main branches over 0.1 mm wide, without tomentum; apothecia common; no cellular cortex; algae Nostoc in chains, gelatinous--Lempholemma 45a (30) Algae green; on various substrates---46 45b Algae blue-green; on rock in warm lowlands (provisional, incomplete treatment)--54 46a Fruticose thallus with granular, coralloid, cylindrical or squamulose phyllocladia; with green algae---47 46b Fruticose thallus without phyllocladia; algae blue-green or green---48 47a Surface of phyllocladia smooth---Stereocaulon 47b Surface of phyllocladia tomentose---Leprocaulon 48a On soil at high elevation---49 48b On rock or mossy tree trunks---51 49a Thallus whitish yellow, with loose, long and slender branches---Alectoria 49b Thallus whitish, with dense, short and blunt branches---50 50a Thallus branches flattened, scarcely branched, never with ascocarps (cf. also Toninia, with thallus composed of rounded, sometimes elongated, warts; recognizable

by dark grey colour and frequent presence of apothecia)---Siphula 50b Thallus branches coralloid; mazaedium present---Acroscyphus 51a Thallus brown; branches rounded and much branched, under 0.5 mm thick--Bryoria 51b Thallus greenish grey to grey; branches more or less flattened, over 0.5 mm thick--52 52a Forming short mats among moss at high elevations; ascocarps black with mazaedium---Bunodophoron 52b Forming little shrubs with narrow holdfast on rock; ascocarps yellow to grey and without mazaedium---53 53a Near the coast only; thallus and ascocarps grey; cortex of palissadic structure; without cartilaginous strands---Roccella 53b Widespread; thallus greenish grey, apothecial disc yellowish; cortex of strongly conglutinated, periclinal hyphae; cartilaginous strands present below the cortex--Ramalina 54a On mostly dry rock faces on land; thallus not gelatinous, white or grey; common species on granite---Peltula 54b On temporarily submersed rocks in streams; thallus gelatinous, black; rare species---55 55a Lobes flat, little branched, over 1 cm long---Jenmania 55b Lobes rounded and richly branched, forming cushions less than 1 cm thick--Ephebe
page editor: Harrie Sipman, this page last updated 14 June 2005, imprint http://www.bgbm.org/sipman/keys/neokeyH.htm