Stump lichen
Cladonia botrytes
Conservation status data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cladonia_botrytes
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Fungi
Phylum
Ascomycota
Class
Lecanoromycetes
Order
Lecanorales
Family
Cladoniaceae
Genus
Cladonia
Stump lichen belongs to the family Cladoniaceae, order Lecanorales, within the Lecanoromycetes class.
Species Profile
Species profile data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Stump lichen faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to deforestation and urban development, which eliminates the decaying wood substrates essential for its survival. Air pollution and acid rain significantly impact this sensitive species, while climate change alters the specific moisture and temperature conditions required for its growth and reproduction.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Grows on decaying stumps, rotting logs, and dead wood in old-growth and mature forests, particularly in humid temperate and boreal woodland environments. Requires specific moisture conditions and clean air quality, typically found in undisturbed forest ecosystems with abundant coarse woody debris.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Stump lichen faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to deforestation and urban development, which eliminates the decaying wood substrates essential for its survival. Air pollution and acid rain significantly impact this sensitive species, while climate change alters the specific moisture and temperature conditions required for its growth and reproduction.
Air pollution and acid deposition
Climate change affecting moisture regimes
Habitat loss from deforestation and logging
Loss of suitable decaying wood substrates
Urban development and land conversion
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Stump lichen (Cladonia botrytes). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/stump-lichen