Lobaria asperula
Synonyms
Ricasolia asperula
Family
Lobariaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Indeterminate
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Anawhata) to Wellington. South Island: Canterbury (Price’s Valley, Banks Peninsula) to Otago (Nugget Point).
Habitat
On small trees and shrubs in coastal forest remnants, s.l. to 500 m. Occasionally on rocks.
Detailed description
Thallus foliose, lobate, loosely to closely attached, to 18 cm diam., corticolous. Lobes contiguous, undulate, sometimes imbricate, margins deeply crenate, subplacoid, slightly thickened, inrolling and often subascendent, ± densely phyllidiate-isidiate. Upper surface bright lettuce-green when wet, pale yellowish-brown to olive when dry, undulate, minutely rugose-plicate, roughened or obscurely ridged towards margins, distinctly phyllidiate, matt, lacking soredia, maculae or pseudocyphellae. Phyllidia mainly marginal at first, spreading to lamina, squamiform, rarely simple or terete, flattened, and ± dorsiventral. Medulla white, containing internal cephalodia visible as rounded swellings on lower surface. Lower surface pale yellowish-tan at margins, brown-black centrally, smooth and glabrous at margins with a short to thick, pale to dark tomentum towards centre, and clusters of black, stout, simple or squarrose rhizines (to 5 mm long), sometimes developed. Apothecia laminal, sessile, or subpedicellate, rather sparse, cupuliform, disc red-brown, to 4 mm diam., matt or shining, epruinose, imperforate, margins inflexed, coarsely rugulose-striate, becoming phyllidiate, thalline exciple yellow-brown, scabrid-areolate. Ascospores 8 per ascus, colourless or pale brownish, fusiform, 1-3(-7)-septate, 20-42 × 6-11 µm. Pycnidia occasional, immersed, visible as brownish globose swellings on upper surface, ostiole black, punctiform. Conidia straight, rod-shaped, 2-3 × 1 µm.
Chemistry: Cortex K−; medulla K−, C+ red, KC+red, Pd−; containing gyrophoric acid.
Similar taxa
Lobaria asperula is distinguished from L. adscripta by the copiously phyllidiate lobes (crenate-incised to phyllidiate lobe margins), by the thinner, and more papery texture of the thallus, and by the generally smaller and more fragile appearance.
Substrate
Corticolous, occasionally saxicolous
Etymology
asperula: From the Greek asper ‘rough’ referring to the leaves
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.