Cladonia verticillata
Synonyms
Cladonia cervicornis subsp. verticillata (Hoffm.) Ahti
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 tiers of cups (usually more than one) proliferating from the centre of the cups.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Waipu Coast), Wellington (Waipakahi Valley Kaimanawa Ranges). South Island: Canterbury (Mt Binser), Otago (Bride Burn, Bedford Valley, Turret Head Mt Earnslaw, Invincible Creek, Rees Valley, French Ridge West Matukituki Valley, Mt Pisgah, Rock & Pillar Range, Flagstaff, Swampy Summit, Catlins), Southland (Pukerau). Stewart Island: (Mt Anglem, Glory Cove, Wilson Bay Port Pegasus). Antipodes Islands.
Known also from Australia.
Habitat
Throughout, s.l. to 1500 m. On soil in grassland, among tussock bases, peat and on soil overlying rock, mosses, rotting logs, charred wood in Leptospermum scrub, both in semi-shade and in full sun.
Detailed description
Primary squamules persistent or disappearing, to 8 × 4 mm, irregularly cuneate or lobed, lobes crenate or slightly incised, flat or convolute, often ascending, rarely caespitose, upper surface olive-green or reddish-or brownish-glaucescent or slaty green, lower surface white, grey-black at base, esorediate. Podetia growing from upper surface or margins of primary squamules to 5 cm tall and 3 mm diam., flaring gradually at apices into short, broad cups, to 9 mm wide, shallow and with small, pointed or cup-bearing proliferations growing from centres of closed cups, margins entire or with apothecia, sometimes with several tiers of cups arising from centre of previous tier. Cortex continuous or areolate, areolae smooth, subcontiguous, narrow interspaces white, dull whitish, green to olivaceous or ashy or blue-green or brownish, esorediate, ± squamulose. Apothecia sessile or shortly stalked, less than 3 mm diam., brown or red-brown, rounded, wider than supporting podetium.
Chemistry: Cortex K−, C−, KC−, Pd+ red; containing fumarprotocetraric acid (major) and protocetraric acid (tr.).
Similar taxa
Separated from C. cervicornis by: basal squamules entire or only shallowly lobed, lobes rounded, never lanceolate, not curled when dry, procumbent or pointing upright. The upper surface colour is bluish green when fresh. Squamules often with a notched, downcurved brownish margin (Van Herk & Aptroot 2002). For more infromation see the C. cervicornis factsheet.
It is similar to Cladonia krempelhuberi, but that species contains atranorin (see notes).
Substrate
Terricolous, corticolous
Atranorin can be detected as it ‘has a characteristic pungent to musty odour when dried specimens are smelled (strongly reminiscent of old paper in long-unopened books)’.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (3 April 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.
Van Herk C.M. and Aptroot A. 2002: A new status for the Western European taxa of the Cladonia cervicornis group. Bibliotheca Lichenologica 86: 193-203.