ii8 FLOWERLESS PLANTS 



In their manner of growth many of the shrubby 

 Hchens bear a strong resemblance to the leaf- 

 hke kinds which will be mentioned later, the 

 chief distinguishing point being that the fruc- 

 tifications are borne upon stalks. 



Some of the shrubby lichens are very much 

 branched, and of these the most interesting 

 is the Reindeer Moss [Cladonia rangiferina), a 

 kind which in one or other of its many forms 

 is abundant on heaths and commons. As a 

 rule, the plant seems to be most at home 

 amongst heather, where it grows to a height 

 of as much as six inches, forming a very attrac- 

 tive object with its grey-green branches. Like 

 the grasses the Reindeer Moss loves to grow in 

 communities, and in certain parts of northern 

 Europe, notably in Lapland, enormous areas 

 of country are covered with the plant, which 

 there grows to the height of ten or twelve inches. 

 During the winter it is almost the only food 

 available for the reindeer, and these creatures 

 are said to clear away the snow to get at 

 the lichen. As well the plant forms quite a 

 valuable food crop for cattle in some of the 

 more inhospitable regions. 



Other forms of shrubby lichen are to be 



