Cladonia capitellata var. capitellata
Synonyms
Cenomyce capitellata
Family
Cladoniaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Fruticose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Characterised by the areolate, yellowish cortex.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Three Kings Islands, Puheke Beach, Karikari Peninsula, Kawerua, Great Mercury Island) South Auckland (Whitianga Coromandel Peninsula, Slipper Island, Penguin Island, Whale Island, Kaimanawa Ranges), Wellington (Pahiatua Track Tararua Ranges, Pongaroa, Rimutaka Ranges). South Island: Nelson (St Arnaud Range), Marlborough (Mt Tapuae-o-uenuku Inland Kaikoura Range) Canterbury (Mt Binser, N of Hakataramea Pass, Black Hills Rakaia Valley), Otago (Canyon Creek Ahuriri Valley, Haast Pass, Ocean Peak Humboldt Mts, Theatre Flat Rockburn, Turret Head Mt Earnslaw, Remarkables, Hector Mts, Garvie Mts, Rock & Pillar Range, Mt Misery, Mt Cargill), Southland (Lake Gunn, Awarua Bog). Stewart Island. Auckland Islands. Campbell Island.
Known also from Australia.
Habitat
Essentially a grassland species from s.l. to 2200 m. Also found also in Leptospermum heaths, on open soils and decaying logs.
Detailed description
Primary squamules persistent or disappearing, to 3 mm long and 2 mm wide, crenate or subentire, ascending, plane or subconvex, sparse to frequent, upper surface glaucescent or yellowish-glaucescent, lower surface pale or whitish or striped brownish, blackened at base, esorediate. Podetia arising from margins of primary squamules or more often from thallus fragments, 1.5-6 cm tall, 0.5-1.5 mm diam., cylindrical or subcylindrical, commonly, without cups, rarely with cups, cups small, membrane open or closed, margins ± dentate, simple or ± dichotomously branching, rarely squamulose, apices blunt or furcate, rarely spinose or with cups, erect, rarely decumbent, crowded, sometimes fissured towards base. Cortex subcontinuous, areolate, areolae dispersed, often elevated towards base, esorediate, smooth, occasionally squamulose, yellowish or pale yellow or yellow-grey to brownish at apices. Apothecia small to 0.5 mm wide, clustered (4-20) to ± solitary, often on thin, blackened stalks, terminal, plane at first with a thin margin, becoming convex and immarginate, peltate, brown or blackened.
Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow or K−, C−, KC+ yellow, Pd+ yellow or Pd−, UV; containing usnic acid, either ±squamatic acid (major) and ±consquamatic acid (minor), or ±thamnolic acid (major), ±barbatic acid in apothecia.
Substrate
Terricolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (11 September 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985) & Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Galloway D.J. 1985: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens. Wellington: PD Hasselberg, Government Printer. 662 pp.
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp