Pixie Cup Lichen
(Cladonia asahinae)
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Species Description
Description
Looking like something straight out of a fairy tale, Pixie Cups are tiny, enchanting lichens that take the shape of miniature, flared goblets or wine glasses. These delicate "cups" are typically a soft sea-foam green or silvery-grey and often look as though they have been dusted with fine powdered sugar.
Habitat in the ANF
In the Allegheny National Forest, Pixie Cups are masters of the "micro-habitat." You will find them growing in moist, shady spots on rotting logs, mossy stumps, and soil banks. They are particularly fond of the decaying wood of hemlocks and pines. Because they are so small (usually less than half an inch tall), you often have to look closely at eye-level stumps or lean down toward the mossy forest floor to spot their tiny, upright forms.
Ecology: The Cup and the Spore
As a lichen, Cladonia asahinae is a composite organism consisting of a fungus and an alga living in a symbiotic embrace. The distinctive cup shape serves a brilliant evolutionary purpose: it is a "splash cup." When a raindrop hits the flared center of the cup, the kinetic energy of the water ejects tiny reproductive packets (soredia) and spores, splashing them up to several feet away to colonize new surfaces.
Identification
The Shape: Look for tiny, upright stalks that widen at the top into a hollow, flared goblet or funnel shape.
The Texture: The surface of the cup and stalk is usually "mealy" or "sorediate," meaning it is covered in tiny, dust-like granules.
The Color: A consistent pale grayish-green or mint green.
The Base: At the bottom of the cups, you will often see small, leaf-like scales called "squamules" carpeting the wood or soil.
The "Fruiting" Tips: Occasionally, the rim of the cup will be dotted with tiny, brown knobs (apothecia). If the tips are bright red, you are likely looking at a different species, like the British Soldier or the Lipstick Cup.
Looking like something straight out of a fairy tale, Pixie Cups are tiny, enchanting lichens that take the shape of miniature, flared goblets or wine glasses. These delicate "cups" are typically a soft sea-foam green or silvery-grey and often look as though they have been dusted with fine powdered sugar.
Habitat in the ANF
In the Allegheny National Forest, Pixie Cups are masters of the "micro-habitat." You will find them growing in moist, shady spots on rotting logs, mossy stumps, and soil banks. They are particularly fond of the decaying wood of hemlocks and pines. Because they are so small (usually less than half an inch tall), you often have to look closely at eye-level stumps or lean down toward the mossy forest floor to spot their tiny, upright forms.
Ecology: The Cup and the Spore
As a lichen, Cladonia asahinae is a composite organism consisting of a fungus and an alga living in a symbiotic embrace. The distinctive cup shape serves a brilliant evolutionary purpose: it is a "splash cup." When a raindrop hits the flared center of the cup, the kinetic energy of the water ejects tiny reproductive packets (soredia) and spores, splashing them up to several feet away to colonize new surfaces.
Identification
The Shape: Look for tiny, upright stalks that widen at the top into a hollow, flared goblet or funnel shape.
The Texture: The surface of the cup and stalk is usually "mealy" or "sorediate," meaning it is covered in tiny, dust-like granules.
The Color: A consistent pale grayish-green or mint green.
The Base: At the bottom of the cups, you will often see small, leaf-like scales called "squamules" carpeting the wood or soil.
The "Fruiting" Tips: Occasionally, the rim of the cup will be dotted with tiny, brown knobs (apothecia). If the tips are bright red, you are likely looking at a different species, like the British Soldier or the Lipstick Cup.