Cladonia darwinii

{{Short description|Species of lichen}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Use New Zealand English|date=July 2024}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Cladonia darwinii 349420975.jpg

| image_caption =

| taxon = Cladonia darwinii

| authority = S.Hammer (2003)

| range_map = {{Infobox mapframe|coord={{coord|45|19|S|168|10|E}}|zoom=4}}

| range_map_caption = Holotype: Mavora Lakes area, New Zealand

}}

Cladonia darwinii is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. Found in Australia and New Zealand, it was formally described as a new species in 2003 by the lichenologist Samuel Hammer. He collected the type specimen from the vicinity of the Mavora Lakes in Southland, at an elevation of {{cvt|620|m}}. The species epithet is named after Charles Darwin to honour his foundational work on evolutionary theory and the significance of variation in evolution, a concept that remains challenging in the study of Cladonia lichens.

The {{lichengloss|primary thallus}} of Cladonia darwinii is {{lichengloss|squamulose}}, either persistent or {{lichengloss|evanescent}}, {{lichengloss|esorediate}}, {{lichengloss|granular}}, and lobed. The podetia are hairy, cylindrical, {{lichengloss|subulate}}, and can be granular or squamulose. They contain fumarprotocetraric acid.