Order: Lecanorales       Family: Parmeliaceae Genus: Cetraria aculeata Growth type fruticose Photos: Among moss on upland rock. Ballingeary, Cork, SW Ireland. Loose clumps or interwoven mats of glossy chestnut to blackish-brown +/- flattened branches ending in blunt spikes. Elongated pseudocyphellae near axils. Apothecia rare. Found on heaths and acidic sand dunes, sometimes gowing amongst mosses. Mainly occurs in upland habitats. Most frequent in the west and north of Ireland. Chemical reactions negative. Similar: Cetraria muricata is darker brown and smaller (1-3cm tall), the branches with numerous small spinules and circular pseudocyphellae

     


Cetraria aculeata. Ballingeary, County Cork. February 2009