Reindeer moss, in spite of its name, is not in fact a moss. This plant is a representative of a group of shrub lichens of the genus Cladonia. It consists of a small thallus and branched branches. The peculiarity of this plant is that it is equally likely to be found in both the polar and tropical climates.
Species of deer moss
Reindeer moss is a separate species of lichens, which includes more than 40 subspecies. It is interesting to know how the reindeer moss is properly called, because it is not, as we have already learned, moss. So, the second name of deer moss is the yagel.
The most valuable subspecies of yagel are cladonia deer, alpine claudia, clade forest, cladonia soft and cladonia unadulterated. All of them are united by the fact that as they grow and develop, the cortical thallus disappears, as well as the fact that the lichen resembles a bush with a large number of twigs.
With the development of the plant, the lower part of the podetium dies off and the upper layer grows. The abundant growth of biomass makes the yagel attractive to reindeer.
How does the moss reindeer?
Yagel is the largest of lichens. It can grow up to 10-15 cm in height. Its reproduction is carried out in the following way: lichen branches eventually dry up and become brittle, crumble and break off, and since they are very light, they are carried by the wind for long distances.
On the tops and edges of these branches there are fruit bodies of round form of red or brown color. They contain controversies, through which the plant successfully reproduces.
Useful properties of deer moss
The healing properties of yagel are known to people for a long time. It contains a strong antibiotic that can stop the growth and reproduction of putrefactive bacteria. The Nordic peoples actively used this knowledge to preserve meat in a warm time.
The acid present in the lichen kills the tubercle bacillus , while retaining the intestinal microflora. It is on the basis of the yagel that many modern antibiotics have been developed.
In folk medicine, until now, berries are used for tuberculosis, ulcers, atherosclerosis, coughing, gastritis, for blood purification, with varicose veins and thyroid diseases.
Due to its nutritional value, the yagel is in demand as a fodder plant for cattle and pigs. For comparison, 1 quintal of yagel replaces 3 centners of potatoes.