Lobaria adscripta
Synonyms
Ricasolia herbacea f. adscripta, Ricasolia herbacea var. adscripta, Sticta adscripta, Sticta efflorescens
Family
Lobariaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: DP, SO
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Little Barrier island.) southwards. South Island: Nelson (Lake Rotoiti) both E and W of Main Divide and inland, to Southland. Stewart Island.
Habitat
In forested areas, s.l. to 900 m. More common E of the Main Divide. Lobaria adscripta is a large foliose lichen, epiphytic on trees and shrubs in beech forest, mixed podocarp–beech forest and in coastal podocarp forest or forest remnants. It is often well-developed on the bark of Griselinia littoralis. Occasionally it will colonise rocks in humid situations. Primarily a light-loving species, it will also tolerate moderate shade, but does not occur deep in forest interiors.
Detailed description
Thallus foliose, lobate, ± closely attached centrally, ± subascendent marginally, spreading, often in very large rosettes 5-20(-50) cm diam., corticolous, rarely saxicolous. Lobes broad, rounded, overlapping, sinuses shallow, evenly rounded, margins entire or weakly crenulate, sinuous, sometimes ascending or ± deflexed. Upper surface bright lettuce-green and brownish at margins when wet, dull olive-brownish to red-brown when dry, undulate to roughened-corrugate, not scrobiculate or faveolate, matt or shining, continuous, without isidia, soredia or pseudocyphellae, minutely scabrid-cracked centrally, in older specimens small secondary lobules may develop centrally. Medulla white, with internal cephalodia often visible as swellings on lower (occasionally also on upper) surface. Lower surface pale yellowish-buff, darker centrally, whitish in narrow marginal zone, very slightly thickened and dark brown at margins, glabrous, smooth or slightly wrinkled or roughened at margins, tomentose centrally, tomentum short, uniform, soft, pale buff, darker centrally, often with scattered, simple or squarrose, buff rhizines centrally. Apothecia laminal, often ± central, numerous, sessile to subpedicellate, disc red-brown, waxy, shining, shallowly to deeply concave, plane or ± undulate in mature fruits, to 8 mm diam., smooth, matt or shining, epruinose, thalline margin very massive, pale, corrugate-scabrid, inflexed when young obscuring the disc, entire to striate-areolate or weakly crenulate, thalline exciple coarsely warted-papillate, ± areolate, pale brown to yellowish-buff. Ascospores colourless, linear-acicular with pointed ends, 2-4-septate, 25-52 × 5-12 µm. Pycnidia rare to frequent, immersed, visible as small, brownish hemispherical swellings on upper surface, 0.1-0.5 mm diam., ostiole black, excavate, carbonaceous. Conidia straight, rod-shaped, 3 × 1 µm.
Chemistry: Cortex K-; medulla K-, C+ red, KC+ red, Pd-. Gyrophoric acid.
Similar taxa
Superficially L. adscripta resembles Sticta subcaperata, and in places these two taxa may be co-dominant. The presence of cyphellae on the lower surface of S. subcaperata easily distinguishes it from L. adscripta, and when fertile, the discs of S. subcaperata are bright yellow-orange and not red-brown as in L. adscripta.
Lobaria adscripta is distinguished from L. asperula by its entire lobe margins, lack of phyllidia, and its generally larger and more robust appearance.
Substrate
Corticolous, occasionally saxicolous (rocks in humid habitats)
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (15 March 2022). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985, 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.