Monographia Cladoniarum Universalis. 3 volumes. Helsingfors, Kuopio 1887-1897. (Originally publ. in "Acta Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica"). 1278 p. gr8vo. Cloth. Reprint Koenigstein 1978. (ISBN 978-3-87429-135-4, 978-3-87429-136-1, 978-3-87429-144-6)

A citation from K.Linkola: Edvard August Wainio (published in Acta Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, vol. 57, no. 3, p. 9): "In 1887 came a gigantic work from Wainio's hand, the famous "Monographia Cladoniarum Universalis". This was the first part of the monograph, seven years later followed the second part, and some years later the third volume, in all 1277 pages. This monumental work was written in Latin and in part in French, two languages which WAINIO from that time used almost exclusively in his papers.

The monograph contains detailed descriptions of old and new species, very exhaustive elucidation on synonymy, careful records of the geographical distribution, and in the third, general volume a comprehensive description of the ontogenic development of the Cladoniae and their general structure, exterior and interior, their phylogeny, variability and the general causes of the variability, and also their general geographical distribution. At the end of the volume there is a perspicuous Clavis Specierum. In this work WAINIO contended for views which in several points were in opposition to the opinions of earlier authors, and he also ventured upon several problems, which had formerly not been attacked.This magnificent work was received with the greatest admiration by all lichenologists and already the first volume gave its author, then 34 years old, rank as one of the most prominent lichenologists."