Branched Pixie-Cup Lichen vs Fence-Rail Clad Lichen

Cladonia ramulosa compared with Cladonia parasitica

Key Differences

• Branched Pixie-Cup Lichen is Least Concern while Fence-Rail Clad Lichen is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Branched Pixie-Cup Lichen	Fence-Rail Clad Lichen
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class same	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order same	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)
Family same	Cladoniaceae	Cladoniaceae
Genus same	Cladonia	Cladonia
Species	Cladonia ramulosa	Cladonia parasitica

Evolutionary Relationship

Branched Pixie-Cup Lichen and Fence-Rail Clad Lichen share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Cladonia.

Conservation Status

Branched Pixie-Cup Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Fence-Rail Clad Lichen

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Branched Pixie-Cup Lichen	Fence-Rail Clad Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Branched Pixie-Cup Lichen

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

Fence-Rail Clad Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Branched Pixie-Cup Lichen

The Branched pixie-cup lichen (Cladonia ramulosa) is a species in the genus Cladonia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States