Field Guide

Mosses, Liverworts, and Lichens

Showing 1 - 7 of 7 results
Cluster of red-tipped British soldiers podetia
British Soldier Lichen
Cladonia cristatella
British soldier lichen is widespread in eastern North America. Branching stalks with bright red knobs at their tips arise from a patch of small, green scalelike structures. The red is similar to the color of British soldiers’ coats during the American Revolution.
Pale gray cluster of gray reindeer lichen growing in a patch of moss
Gray Reindeer Lichen (Reindeer Moss)
Cladina rangiferina (syn. Cladonia rangiferina)
Gray reindeer lichen, also called reindeer moss, takes the form of bright ashy or silvery-gray, branching cushions that grow on the soil. The branch tips usually bend to point in the same direction, as if combed or blown by a strong wind.
Dixie reindeer lichen (Cladina subtenuis)
Dixie Reindeer Lichen (Reindeer Moss)
Cladina subtenuis (syn. Cladonia subtenuis)
Dixie reindeer lichen, also called reindeer moss, takes the form of pale yellow-green, finely branched cushions that grow on the soil. This is the most common and widespread of Missouri’s reindeer lichen species.
Snakeskin liverwort growing on a rock
Snakeskin Liverwort
Conocephalum salebrosum (formerly C. conicum)
Snakeskin liverwort looks like large, flattened, irregular, overlapping straps. The surface is covered with polygon-shaped air pores, giving it a bubbly appearance similar to snakeskin. Look for it along streams, springs, and the moist bases of bluffs.
Rock greenshield lichen growing on a rock
Rock Greenshield Lichen
Flavoparmelia baltimorensis
The rock greenshield lichen is a medium to large, green foliose lichen. Common and widespread, it grows on rocks and is especially characteristic of dry, igneous woodlands.
A variety of foliose lichens nearly covering the trunk of a small redbud tree, with redbud flowers in upper right
Lichens
About 436 species in Missouri
A lichen is a composite organism formed by certain fungus species that join with certain algae species. Lichens can be many colors and can be crusty, leaflike, flaky, branching, or mossy. They grow on rocks, trees, or other surfaces.
Wart lichen, Pertusaria sp., with wartlike apothecia, many of which have eroded to show hollow structure
Wart Lichens (Pertusaria Lichens)
Pertusaria spp.
Wart lichens are warty gray lichens. The genus is noted for having the spore-bearing apothecia covered by wartlike nubbins, which gradually erode, creating a hole from which the spores can exit.
See Also

About Mosses, Liverworts, and Lichens in Missouri

Mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens seem rather similar, but these organisms are in very different groups. Mosses, liverworts, and hornworts are small, low plants usually found in damp habitats. Unlike more familiar plants, they lack veinlike structures and do not produce flowers or seeds — instead, they produce spores. Meanwhile, lichens are not plants at all: they are a collection of different fungi that have photosynthetic algae living within their tissues.