Cladonia confusa
Synonyms
Cladina leptoclada (des Abb.) D. Galloway
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 mat-forming podetia 2–6 cm tall; a distinctly arachnoid surface; rounded, distinct heads greenish to greenish yellow; mainly trichotomous branching with axils distinctly perforate; terminal, convex, dark-brown apothecia; and perlatolic and usnic acids as major secondary metabolites.
Distribution
North Island: Three Kings Is to Wellington (Rimutaka Ranges). South Island: Nelson (St Arnaud Ranges, Mt Gloriana Spenser Mts), Marlborough (Mt Tapuae-o-uenuku Inland Kaikoura Range), Canterbury (Foggy Peak Torlesse Range, Mt Hutt, Ben Ohau Range, Kirkliston Range), Otago (St Marys Range, Old Man Range, Rock & Pillar Range, East Dome Garvie Mts), Southland (Borland Bog, The Wilderness, Awarua Bay). Stewart Island: Chatham Island: Campbell Island: (Perserverance Harbour, Tucker Cove, Homestead River).
Known also from East and South Africa, Madagascar, Central and South America (it is the most frequent species of subgen. Cladonia in the neotropics), and SE Australia and Tasmania.
Habitat
Very widely distributed in all parts, s.l. to 2000 m. In subalpine peat bogs and in grassland or amongst Leptospermum and Dracophyllum in heathland.
Detailed description
Primary thallus evanescent. Podetia in mats or tufts often spreading in dense swards, 2-15 cm tall, branching loose to dense, isotomic, mainly trichotomous, irregular or forming compact rounded heads, branches slender 0.3-0.4 mm diam., internodes 5 mm long, axils distinctly open with star-like diverging branchlets. Cortex cottony with minute algal glomerules, greenish-yellow to pale yellow, sometimes bright yellow, never brownish at apices.
Chemistry: Cortex K-, KC+ yellow, Pd-. Perlatolic, anziaic and usnic acids. Two chemodemes present: (1) Usnic and perlatolic acids ±ursolic acid; (2) Perlatlolic acid alone.
Similar taxa
Usnic-acid-deficient specimens (from Flagstaff and from Deceit Peaks, Port Pegasus, Stewart I.) were earlier referred to C. confusa f. bicolor (Mull.Arg.) Ahti, but are presently regarded as a chemodeme of C. confusa.
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