TYPE. UNITED STATES, MASSACHUSETTS, [Plymouth County], Wereham, with grass in open woods, 2.VI.1923, C.A. Robbins s.n. (FH, FH barcode-00413665, lectotype designated by T. Ahti, 1993).

Description. Lichenized fungus.

Thallus dimorphic.  Primary thallus squamulose; squamules persistent or disappearing, middle-sized to large, elongated, entire to crenate, usually ascending, greenish gray or olive-green above, whitish below. Podetia erect, slender to stout, 5-35 tall x 4-8 mm diam., forming cups. Podetial surface corticate, continuous to areolate, smooth to rugulose, esorediate, squamulose or sparingly squamulose toward the base, grayish green in shade to olivaceous or darker in exposed areas. Cups imperforate, narrow to broad, shallow, simple to several-ranked, proliferations usually from the sides of the cups. Ascomata biatorine apothecia, on podetial apices, convex, brown to dark brown, 0.5-1 mm diam.

Chemistry. K-, KC-, PD+ red; secondary metabolites not reported.

Substrate and Habitat. On soil in exposed habitats.

Distribution. Eastern North America; in North Carolina primarily in Piedmont and Blue Ridge ecoregions.

Literature

Brodo, I.M., S. Duran Sharnoff & S. Sharnoff. (2001) Lichens of North America. Yale University Press, New Haven & London. 795 pp.

Fink, B. (1935) The Lichen Flora of the United States. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor.

Robbins, C.A. (1925) Cladonia mateocyatha, a new species and some variations in C. Beaumontii. Rhodora 27: 49-51 (original description).