Cladonia ochrochlora
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
One of the most commonly collected species of the genus in New Zealand. C. ochrochlora is a variable species. Podetia usually cup-forming though cups may not form in immature specimens. Cups are corticate in the interior and often on the exterior surface as well, generally with ±angular edges. Soredia farinose to quite large and ±corticate, arising gradually or abruptly in erumpent soralia. Podetia generally not entirely terete, appearing as though grazed by invertebrates.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Kawerua, Great Mercury Island), South Auckland (Shoe Island). South Island: Southland (Lake Monowai, Cascade Cove Dusky Sound). Stewart Island. Auckland Islands. Campbell Island: (Tucker Cove). Throughout NZ from s.l. to 1200 m.
Known also from Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, North Central and South America, Marion I. and Australia.
Habitat
A very common and widespread species on rotting logs in beech and in podocarp forest (often ascending trunks of old and decaying trees), in grassland, on fenceposts, on roadside banks.
Detailed description
Primary squamules persistent or disappearing, medium, 2-12 mm long, irregularly lobed, lobes subdigitately crenate to incised, concave or involute, ascending, upper surface glaucescent to whitish-glaucescent or olive-green, lower surface white, darkening towards base, esorediate or sparingly granular-sorediate below. Podetia growing from upper surface of primary squamules, 5-40 mm tall, cylindrical, tapering to ± recurved tips, without cups and subulate, or with very small cups at tips. Cortex continuous or areolate near base and below apothecia, elsewhere decorticate and farinose-sorediate, white or whitish-glaucescent or whitish-ashy or olive, dying parts black, with or without podetial squamules. Apothecia brown, at tips of podetia or on margins of cups. .
Chemistry: Cortex K−, C−, KC−, Pd+ red; containing fumarprotocetraric acid (major) and protocetraric acid (tr.) with or without physodalic acid (major).
Similar taxa
C. ochrochlora s distinguished from C. sarmentosa and C. ramulosa by the presence of farinose soredia. Possibly some specimens in New Zealand may be confused with C. poecilocladia. Specimens from Hawai’i are parasitised by the lichenicolous fungus *Opegrapha cladoniicola, and this fungus should be looked for in New Zealand populations.
Substrate
Terricolous, corticolous, lignicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (15 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.