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Coral Lichen, Snow Lichen
Conservation status: Not listed.
This is a fruticose lichen that grows on the ground. It often grows with moss and can form large mats over Girraween's granite pavements, looking like a layer of snow. When viewed closely, you can see the delicate open-work structure of the lichen. This gives the lichen its common name of Coral Lichen. The brownish-red tips on the branches are the fungal component's fruiting bodies, where it produces spores.
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Scientific Classification
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Ascomycota
Lecanoromycetes
Lecanorales
Cladoniaceae
Cladia
retipora
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