Cladonia weymouthii
Family
Cladoniaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Fruticose
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: SO
Distribution
North Island: Wellington (Hihitahi State Forest, Waiopehu Tararua Range). South Island: Nelson (Mt Owen). Canterbury (Mt Cassidy, Arthur’s Pass), Otago (North branch Routeburn), Southland (Seaward Bush). Chatham Island.
Known also from Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, South America and the subantarctic islands, including the Falkland Islands and Antarctica.
Habitat
On dead wood or soil containing fragments of dead wood.
Detailed description
Basal squamules persistent, inconspicuous, 1–2 mm long, 0.5–1 mm diam., incised, margins crenate. Podetia arising from basal squamules, (15–)20–40(–55) mm tall, 1–2.5(–4) mm diam., subcylindrical or tapering to apices, simple or branching somewhat near apices, branching forming deformed scyphi, axils closed; surface corticate at base and below apothecia, remainder of podetia ecorticate and densely farinose-sorediate; without squamules or with squamules on lower parts of podetia. Apothecia rare, red, terminal.
Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow, KC−, Pd+ yellow; containing thamnolic, barbatic and didymic acids.
Similar taxa
Morphologically similar to Cladonia macilenta but is distinguished by the occasional deformed scyphi and the tall, branched, partly corticate podetia. It is separated from C. corniculata by the absence of fumarprotocetraric acid.
Substrate
Terricolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (15 December 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.