Cladonia neozelandica var. neozelandica
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 abundant, robust and strongly persistent basal squamules (up to 3 cm long), that commonly form extensive mats or clumps and only occasionally develop podetia; the clathrate-fissured podetia with entire to perforate axils; and the presence of norstictic acid (K+ red).
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Three Kings Islands, Kawerua), South Auckland (Great Mercury Island, Slipper Island, Mangaotaki Valley King Country), Wellington (Whariti, Ruahine Ranges). South Island: Otago (Strachan Creek, Burke River, N branch Routeburn, Pinehill Dunedin, Kaka Point), Southland (Mararoa River Lookout; Waituna Lagoon). Stewart Island: (Mt Anglem, Table Hill).
Known also from Tasmania.
Habitat
On damp soil in swampy heathland, colonising clay banks, in Leptospermum scrub, or among tussocks in subalpine grassland.
Detailed description
Primary squamules usually very persistent, 3-7 mm long and 0.5-1.5 mm wide, irregularly laciniate, flat or involute-subconvex, ascending, clustered to caespitose-crowded, upper surface olive or yellowish-glaucescent. Lower surface white, without soredia. Podetia growing from the upper surface of the primary squamules, 10-25 mm tall, 0.7-2.5 mm diam., subcylindrical, without cups, sterile or terminated with apothecia, irregularly branched, branches spreading, sides of podetia fissured, ± clathrate, ± decorticate exposing internal chondroid strands, somewhat wrinkled, axils entire or perforate, aggregated or anastomosing, often confluent, ascending, corticate. Cortex areolate or in parts verrucose, areolae minute, dispersed or subcontiguous, without soredia, ± squamulose, squamules small to medium, similar to primary type, interspaces corticate or decorticate, opaque, impellucid, pale yellowish or olivaceous or whitish-glaucescent. Apothecia small, 0.6-1.0 mm diam., often solitary, entire or lobate, perforate, subpeltate, convex, brown or pale yellowish-brown.
Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow → red, KC+ red, Pd+ orange. Atranorin, norstictic acid, zeorin and 2 unidentified compounds.
Similar taxa
It is closely similar to C. polycarpoides but has much larger and more robust basal squamules. It is also similar to C. enantia, but thalli are larger and more irregular, the apothecia are pale yellow-brown and the podetia are more obviously clathrate-fissured, and the chemistry of the two species is different (C. enantia has fumarprotocetraric, succinprotocetraric and protocetraric acids). This group of taxa have well-developed, persistent basal squamules.
Substrate
Terricolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (21 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.