Reindeer moss

Reindeer moss

Reindeer moss (lat. Cladonia rangiferina), or deer moss – a group of lichens from the genus Cladonia.

This is one of the largest lichens: its height can reach 10-15 cm. Yagel has a color, because the bulk of the lichen is the thinnest colorless – stem hyphae.

Moist reindeer moss is elastic when wet, but after drying it becomes very brittle and crumbles easily. These tiny fragments are carried by the wind and are able to give rise to new plants.

Due to the bushy, highly branched thallus, deer moss is sometimes isolated in the genus Cladina. Good food for reindeer (up to 90% of their diet in winter). Some species contain usnic acid, which has antibiotic properties. The Nenets use these properties of reindeer moss in folk medicine.