reindeer lichen

9.3

A grey bushy growth like a small plant that covers the tundra and feeds reindeer

noun
/ˈreɪnˌdɪr ˈlaɪkən/

Specialized

: liquen de reno

Caribou rely on reindeer lichen as a vital food source during harsh winter months.

Examples

Caribou depend on reindeer lichen as their winter energy source, "cratering," or pawing through snow to reach this ground cover.

Academic text (2012)
Along the ground grow boulder-sized clumps of reindeer lichen (Cladonia rangiferina).

Academic text (2012)
In the Arctic landscape, reindeer lichen provides essential nutrients for grazing reindeer.
The greyish hues of reindeer lichen can often be seen covering the ground where reindeer roam.

Synonyms

Cladonia rangiferina

vsreindeer lichen

Specialized

9.9

A grey, bushy lichen that grows in Arctic areas and feeds reindeer

is not described as erect and refers to the general form in those regions

reindeer moss

vsreindeer lichen

Specialized

9.2

A grey, branching lichen that grows in the Arctic and feeds reindeer

is limited to arctic and northern temperate regions rather than broader temperate areas

arctic moss

vsreindeer lichen

9.2

A greyish branching plantlike growth in Arctic tundra that is a main food for reindeer and caribou

is not usually described as edible for humans

Surface Forms

reindeer lichen singular

reindeer lichens plural

Morphology

reindeer + lichen

This is a straightforward noun–noun composition where 'reindeer' restricts the type of 'lichen'; a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it is the lichen associated with or eaten by reindeer (found in Arctic regions). The compositional head-modifier pattern is common cross-linguistically and yields the meaning directly from the constituents.

Etymology

Reindeer lichen is named for the pale, branching lichen that grows like a carpet on the tundra and is the 'main food' of reindeer in winter, so the name links the plant to the animal that eats it.