Plants & Nature
Reindeer lichen
Reindeer lichen covers several different species, all of them richly branched, pale yellow to greyish and shrub-like. They also belong to the fruticose lichens. They can vary in size between…
Tags: Lichen Description: Reindeer lichen covers several different species, all of them richly branched, pale yellow to greyish and shrub-like. They also belong to the fruticose lichens. They can vary in size between 5 and 15 cm. Use: Reindeer lichen provides good nourishment for reindeer in winter, where there is not much else to eat. Reindeer have a specially adapted gut flora, which can digest lichen far better than we humans can. But cattle too can make use of the carbohydrates in lichen and have also been given lichen as supplementary feed over the ages. Some species of reindeer lichen have in the past been used to insulate houses. Today they are gathered for decorative material. Habitat type: The alpine zone Edible: No Written by: Lærke Stewart
, via Wikimedia Commons](Reinlav/Reinlav.jpg)
Reindeer lichen. Photo: Étienne Lacroix-Carignan, CC0 (no copyright), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Cladonia_rangiferina_108246633.jpg, via Wikimedia Commons
