Reindeer Lichen – carpets the open alpine acidic ground

carpets the open alpine acidic ground

Size: Height: 5–10 cm
Lifespan: 20–50 years
Diet: Obtains nutrients via symbiotic partnership. Fungus provides structure. Alga provides photosynthetic food. Requires well-drained acidic soils.
Habitat: Open ground in alpine tundra, heaths, and open forests from sea level to alpine zone, with well-drained, acidic soils where vegetation is low and light is bright.
Range: Found throughout the North and South Islands on ground, rocks, and exposed soil in open, sunny locations. Most common in the South Island high country and the North Island volcanic plateau.
Endemism: Native
Main Threats: None significant. Localised threats include habitat loss from land development and trampling by hikers.
Population: Not Threatened. Common and widespread in New Zealand, particularly in the South Island high country and the North Island volcanic plateau on ground in open forests, heaths, and alpine tundra.
Conservation Status: Not Threatened
Human Risk: harmless
Handling Note: fruticose lichen, safe to handle
Conservation Note: Native lichen; not assessed by NZTCS as lichens are generally outside the scope of current threat classifications.
Te Ao Māori: No recorded Māori name distinguishes the reindeer lichen from other lichens. Lichens were generally called "pūkohu" (mosses and lichens) or "pukorokoro" (crustose lichens). The pale, branching lichen on the ground would have been noticed. It looked like the antlers of a deer. Like the branches of a tree. But no distinct name survives. Reindeer lichen was sometimes used as a dye. The pale pigment could be extracted. Used to colour fibres. Though it was not as vibrant as other lichens.

It looks like a tiny forest. A lichen that makes a person feel like a giant. Cladonia rangiferina has a pale greyish-white body. Branching and re-branching into a dense, shrubby clump. Branches are cylindrical and hollow. With a soft, powdery surface. It looks like a miniature tree or a piece of coral. A tiny forest frozen on the ground. The lichen of the miniature world. The one that makes a person feel like a giant. A lichen that shrinks the observer. What makes it special is the shape. A fruticose lichen. Meaning it grows upright, like a tiny shrub, rather than flat on the ground. Branches divide and re-divide. Forming a dense, rounded clump 5 to 10 centimetres tall. Branches are covered in tiny, fuzzy projections called cilia. Giving them a soft, powdery appearance. Pale greyish-white. Sometimes with a hint of green or blue. Grows slowly. A few millimetres per year. A large clump may be decades old. The lichen of patience. The one that takes its time. Reproduces by fragmentation. Pieces break off and grow into new clumps. And by spores. A partnership. A fungus and an alga living together. The fungus provides structure and protection. The alga provides food through photosynthesis. The forest floor is open. The reindeer lichen grows. Pale and branching. A tiny forest at knee height. A finger runs through the branches. They are soft and powdery. The lichen does not know it is a partnership. It does not know it takes decades to grow. It just wants to be left alone. The tiny forest is patient. It has been here for decades. It will be here for decades more. Not Threatened. Common and widespread in New Zealand. Particularly in the South Island high country and the North Island volcanic plateau on ground in open forests, heaths, and alpine tundra.