Cladonia polydactyla

Cladonia polydactyla is a fruticose lichen with tall, mostly unbranched podetia that end in small, narrow cups. The upright structures can resemble tiny fingers or stalks rising from the ground.

It commonly colonizes decaying logs, humus, and other rotting organic substrates. In North America it may appear in forest-floor habitats where woody debris remains damp enough for lichen growth.

Cladonia polydactyla is noted for tall unbranched podetia with narrow terminal cups, while Cladonia subulata often has pointed tips and irregular or proliferating cup margins. Because Cladonia species can overlap in appearance, a hand lens and chemical tests may be needed.

The name refers to its finger-like, upright podetia, which can appear as several narrow projections. Those structures are part of the lichen thallus and are not stems of a flowering plant.