Cladonia pyxidata

Podetia 0.5–1.5 (–3) cm tall, grey, occasionally ± brownish; cups 3–10 mm diam., ± regular, rarely proliferating from the rim, tapering regularly towards the base, stalk very short or hardly present; surface uneven with coarse, smooth, corticate granules, particularly well-developed within the cups, often with scattered, partially decorticate pale areas; soredia absent. Basal squamules often rather small, rounded or elongate, with few indentations, sparse or often abundant, becoming ± erect. Apothecia and pycnidia brown, common, on cup rim; apothecia often shortly elevated. Thallus C–, K–, KC– , Pd+ red, UV– (fumarprotocetraric acid). 

A variable and polyphyletic species, which is in need of revision with further molecular studies (Stenroos et al. 2019). C. chlorophaea differs in having more slender, gradually tapering cups with a short stalk and has powdery, granular granules, more rarely soredia, in the upper part of the podetium and within cups. Poorly developed specimens may be impossible to distinguish from C. pyxidata. C. cyathomorpha is similar but has larger squamules with veins on the underside and the granules on the podetia are mainly inside the scyphi, and is found on acid mossy rocks and trees. See also the schizidiate morph of C. humilis,  C. pocillum and C. monomorpha. All of these taxa have similar podetia with cups and corticate granules but have larger basal squamules.