Cladonia humilis var. humilis
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 short, simple, broad, partly corticate, floury-sorediate cups; and the presence of atranorin.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Three Kings Islands), Wellington (Palmerston North, Ruapehu). South Island: Canterbury (Arthur’s Pass), Otago (Waikerikeri Valley Clyde, Conroy’s Dam, Abbott’s Hill, Taieri Mouth).
Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, North America, Asia, Africa and Australia.
Habitat
On soil in alpine scrub, clay banks.
Detailed description
Basal squamules persistent, conspicuous, 1–2 × 1–5 mm, rounded, lobed, margins slightly crenate, green above, white below, without soredia. Podetia growing from the upper surface of basal squamules, simple, scyphose, lacking marginal or central proliferations, 5–20 mm tall, scyphi 3–6 mm diam., the podetial stalk corticate, the cortex areolate at base becoming subverrucose, rarely minutely squamulose at base; scyphi ecorticate, farinose-sorediate, the interior of the cup closed and farinose-sorediate, margins entire or minutely denticulate. Apothecia and pycnidia not seen.
Chemistry: K− or K+ weak yellow, C−. KC−, Pd+ red; containing fumarprotocetraric acid (major) and atranorin.
Substrate
Terricolous
Etymology
humilis: Lowest, dwarf, small, slight
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (10 September 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features sections copied from Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.