FINK—THE LICHENS OF MINNESOTA. 123 
23. Cladonia gracilis (L.) Willd. Fl. Berol. Prodr. 363. 1787. 
Lichen gracilis L. Sp. Pl. 1152. 1753. 
Primary thallus usually persistent, composed of irregularly laciniate or crenate, 
somewhat flat, involute or convolute, ascending, clustered or scattered squamules, 
these somewhat incrassate, middle-sized, 2 to 5 mm. long and nearly as wide, sea- 
green varying to olivaceous above, white below or brownish toward the base; podetia 
arising from the surface of the primary thallus, 10 to 75 mm. long and 0.3 to 5.5 mm. 
in diameter, cylindrical and cupless or trumpet-shaped and scyphiform, commonly 
in larger or smaller clusters, erect or ascending, the cortex subcontinuous or composed 
of contiguous or scattered areoles, rarely squamulose toward the base, the decorticate 
portions between the areoles sometimes granulose-sorediate; variously sea-green, 
ashy, olivaceous, or even reddish brown, the decorticate portions white, sometimes 
dying below and the dead portion becoming dark-colored, simple or more or less 
branched, the sides sometimes more or less rimose or perforate; cups 0.75 to 6 mm. 
in diameter, abruptly or gradually dilated, regular or subregular, shallow or deep, 
the margin dentate or proliferate, rarely proliferate from the center, the ranks from 
1 to 5, the lowest 10 to 70 mm. long, when four or five, the whole podetium sometimes 
longer than the measurements given above; apothecia medium-sized, 1 to 4.5 mm. 
in diameter, usually lobate-conglomerate and sometimes perforate, commonly borne 
on short pedicels, these frequently arising singly or in clusters from the margins of 
the cups, thinly margined or more commonly convex and immarginate, pale or darker 
brown; hypothecium pale; hymenium pale below and brownish above; paraphyses 
rarely branched, thickened and brownish toward the apex; asci cylindrico-clavate. 
Generally distributed over the State. On earth or rarely on rotten wood. 
Widely distributed in North America and cosmopolitan elsewhere. 
23a. Cladonia gracilis dilacerata Floerke, Clad. Comm. 37. 1828. 
Differing from the last in that the cups are usually more irregular and the podetia 
are squamulose. 
Cladonia gracilis anthocephala Floerke® was recognized by Doctor Wainio among 
our material, but scarcely differs from the above. 
The forms referred to subspecies dilacerata are confined to the northern portion of 
the State. On earth or rotten wood. 
Little is known of its North American distribution. Credited to Greenland by 
Wainio. Cladonia gracilis hybrida Tuck. may be this in part, though Tuckerman’s 
plant is no doubt for most part the last subspecies above. Well known in Europe. 
24. Cladonia degenerans (Floerke) Spreng. Syst. Veg. 4: 273. 1827. 
Baeomyces degenerans Floerke, Ges. Naturf. Freund. Mag. 1: 288. 1807. 
Primary thallus more or less evanescent, composed of usually medium-sized, 
irregularly laciniately lobed, flat or somewhat involute or convolute, ascending, 
scattered, or clustered squamules, these 2 to 12 mm. long and 1.5 to 10 mm. wide, 
sea-green varying toward olivaceous above and white below or darkening toward the 
base; podetia arising from the surface of the primary thallus, 10 to 55 mm. long and 
0.5 to 3.5 mm. in diameter, more or less irregularly cylindrical or turbinate, erect or 
ascending, the cortex areolate, with commonly elevated and frequently scattered 
areoles, the portions between the areoles subtomentose, sometimes squamulose; sea- 
green varying toward ashy or olivaceous, the decorticate portions white, the sides 
rarely more or less grooved; occurring in larger or smaller clusters, frequently scyphi- 
form-proliferate; cups 1.5 to 8.5 mm. in diameter, abruptly or gradually dilated, 
usually more or less irregular, urceolate or shallow, commonly dentate or proliferate, 
the proliferations arising either from the margin or from the center of the cup and 
either solitary or radiately arranged, the ranks 1 to 5 in number, the lowest 3 to 20 
4Clad, Comm, 37. 1828, oSyn, Lich, N. E, 49, 1848, 
