Cladonia incerta
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
Brief description
Characterised by the alternately flattened and terete podetia with indistinct cups with numerous meristematic bundles; clumps of farinose to granular soredia at irregular intervals on the sides and apices of the podetia; and fumarprotocetraric as the major secondary compound.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Dome Forest Walkway, Anawhata, Waiheke Island), Auckland (Waitakere Ranges); South Auckland (Mt Maungatawhiri, Coroglen Coromandel Peninsula, Mangaotaki River King Country), Taranaki (Mt Taranaki), Wellington (Ruapehu, Wainuiomata). South Island: Nelson, Westland (Aorangi Reserve Greymouth).
Habitat
On bare soil or on tree trunks
Detailed description
Basal squamules persistent or disappearing, to 7 mm long (usually much shorter), 1–2 mm wide, olivaceous or glaucous-green to whitish above, esorediate; white and esorediate below, subincised to crenate-lobate. Podetia tubular to distinctly flattened, straight or sinuate, 1–3(–4.5) cm tall, 1–3 mm wide, sparsely to moderately branched, asubulate or irregularly cup-forming, cups barely exceeding width of supporting podetia, shallow, deformed with proliferations or squamules forming around margins; margins with several bundles of meristematic tissue giving rise to podetium-like proliferations; podetial and branch apices often reflexed; surface of podetia corticate at base or for the whole podetium, thickening in places and breaking into indistinct verruculae, sometimes interspersed with soralia or with indistinct spreading clumps of powdery soralia, upper parts of podetia mostly farinose-sorediate or forming corticate granules; with lateral, elongate squamules growing vertically, corticate surface facing inwards and producing new flattened podetia. Apothecia brown, solitary or in small apical clusters. Asci and ascospores not seen. Pycnidia not seen.
Chemistry: Cortex K−, C−, KC−, Pd+ orange-red, UV−; containing fumarprotocetraric acid.
Similar taxa
This species resembles C. fruticulosa, which is rare in New Zealand, and has terete, rather than flattened proliferation.
Substrate
Terricolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (8 April 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985) & Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Hammer S. 2003: Notes on Cladoniaceae in New Zealand. Bryologist 106(3): 410-430.
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.