Cladonia rangiformis  

Thallus: primary thallus squamulose, usually evanescent. Podetia forming dense to lax cushions, 2-6 cm tall, ca 1 mm diam., grey-white to grey-green, sometimes browned with a violet tinge at the apex, richly branched, the branches irregular and diverging at wide angles, forming spiky tufts with pointed apices, without scyphi, axils usually closed. Surface entirely corticate, distinctly mottled-areolate, attached squamules rather rare, small to medium in size, often slightly concave, the margin entire or coarsely toothed, the lower surface white-tomentose. Soredia absent. Photobiont a green alga (Asterochloris).
Anamorph: pycnidia common, at the branch tips, dark brown, ± sessile, ± cylindrical to ovoid, hardly constricted at the base, the contents hyaline.
Teleomorph: ascomata apothecia, very rare, brown, at apices of podetia, sometimes ± corymbose.
Chemistry: thallus C–, K+ pale yellow, KC–, Pd– (in ca 70% of collections) or Pd+ red, UV– (usually with atranorin and rangiformic acid, more rarely with fumarprotocetraric acid).