A field survey of the genus Cladonia (Ascomycotina) in Manitoba, Canada

Abstract

Forty-seven species, two unidentified specimens, and 59 chemotypes in the genus Cladonia were collected in Manitoba between the years 2000 and 2002. One new record for Manitoba was C. parasitica. Chemical variation was evident among four members of the C. chlorophaea species complex, C. chlorophaea, C. merochlorophaea, C. grayi, and C. cryptochlorophaea. The C. cariosa group was variable in morphology and chemistry, suggesting that taxonomic research is much needed in the group. This paper is the first of a series of floristic studies that will document the lichens and their chemical variation in Manitoba beginning with the large and diverse genus Cladonia.