Cladonia floerkeana
Synonyms
Cenomyce floerkeana
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
Prominent bright red terminal apothecia on thin podetia (stalks).
Distribution
North Island: Three Kings Islands, Northland (Pandora, Bay of Islands, Great Mercury Island), South Auckland (Hauraki Plains), Wellington (Ohakune, Pongaroa, Otaki Valley Tararua Ranges, Wainuiomata). South Island: Nelson (Arthur Range, St Arnaud Range), Westland (Greymouth, Franz Josef), Canterbury (Sebastopol Mt Cook), Otago (Forgotten River), Southland (Kuriwao, Seaward Bush, Awarua Bay, Cascade Creek). Chatham Islands: (Chudleigh Reserve).
Known also from Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, Africa, North & South America, Australia, and the Pacific.
Habitat
On decaying wood, fenceposts, peaty soils, in subalpine grassland and in Leptospermum heaths.
Detailed description
Primary squamules persistent, scattered or in depressed mats, small, to 2 mm long, entire, to crenate to sublobate, upper surface glaucescent to olivaceous to olive-grey, lower surface white, dark at base, esorediate or apices slightly granular-sorediate. Podetia growing from upper surface of primary squamules, slender, cylindrical, 4-10 mm tall rarely to 45 mm, unbranched or sparingly branched above. Cortex variable, smooth, greyish, to indistinctly areolate, areolae often separated by narrow, opaque or ± translucent bands, often granular-sorediate above, sometimes also squamulose. Apothecia red, prominent, terminal, convex.
Chemistry: Cortex K−, KC−, Pd+ yellow or Pd−; containing barbatic acid (major), 4-O demethylbarbatic acid (tr.), didymic acid (major) and condidymic acid (tr.), ±thamnolic acid (major).
Similar taxa
Cladonia floerkenana is distinguished from C. macilenta by the predominantly corticate podetia and the absence of farinose soredia. Some authors recognise the taxon as a subpsecies of C. macilenta. It is distinguished from C. bacillaris (which has the same chemistry), by the presence of deformed cups from which proliferations may arise. C. bacillaris lacks cortex except at the base.
Substrate
Terricolous, corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford and Melissa Hutchison (10 September 2021). 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.