Cladonia enantia
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
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Cuvier Island), Wellington (Ohau Valley Tararua Ranges) throughout. South Island: Nelson to Canterbury (Port Hills) Otago (Trotter’s Gorge), Southland (Astronomer’s Point Dusky Sound, Longwood Range).
Also in Australia where it is rather uncommon.
Habitat
On soil in forests E and W of Main Divide, on roadside banks, in Leptospermum heath and on coastal banks. It is common along pathways, and a very exuberant rather fragile form looking like a fenestrate Siphula is sometimes met with in damp grass and moss. Basal squamules are often well-developed in coastal, northern habitats.
Detailed description
Primary squamules persistent, large, 2-5(-10) mm long and 1-5 mm wide, cuneate to sublinear, margins crenate-ragged, sinuate, irregularly laciniate-pectinate, flat or convex, ascending, aggregated or crowded-caespitose, upper surface whitish-glaucescent or pale olive-yellowish-glaucescent. Lower surface white, brown-black at base, esorediate, or margins and lower surface farinose-sorediate. Podetia arising from margins and upper surface of primary squamules, 3-12(-17) mm tall, 0.4-0.5 mm diam., subcylindrical or angular, without cups, terminated by apothecia, simple or fastigiate-branched, branches suberect, laterally fissured, fissures striate, often aggregated, erect, corticate, not, or rarely squamulose, axils open or closed. Cortex areolate-verrucose, areolae continuous or dispersed, 0.1-0.5 mm wide, esorediate, opaque, impellucid, whitish-glaucuescent. Apothecia at tips of podetia, often supported on short, cartilaginous stalks, rarely at margins of squamules 0.8-4.0 mm diam., solitary, entire or lobate-perforate, subpeltate, at first plane and marginate, soon becoming convex, glomerulate and immarginate, pale to dark brown, red-brown or brown-black.
Chemistry: Cortex K+ faint yellow, C-, KC-, Pd+ red. Fumarprotocetraric, succinprotocetraric and protocetraric acids and atranorin (tr.).
Similar taxa
Cladonia enantia is often found sterile in clumps or mats of basal squamules. It differs chemically from C. neozelandica, its podetia are shorter, less fissured, not squamulose, ribbed-striate and it has multiple, fastigiate-branched apices with convex black fruits. As well, the basal squamules are larger, more crenate-ragged than those of C. neozelandica.
Substrate
Terricolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (20 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.