Nephroma cellulosum var. cellulosum
Synonyms
Peltidea cellulosum
Family
Nephromataceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Characterised by the corticolous habit; the strongly scrobiculate, faveolate–impressed upper surface; and the bullate lower surface, whitish and shining at margins. The dark reddish brown to greyish colour of the upper cortex can make it difficult to find in shaded forest interiors where it often grows, and no doubt its range is wider than that recorded below.
Distribution
North Island: South Auckland (King Country). South Island: Nelson (Lake Rotoiti, Maruia Valley); Westland (Kelly’s Creek); Canterbury (Boyle River, Hanmer, Arthur’s Pass, Banks Peninsula); Otago (Matukituki Valley, Kaka Point).
Also in southern Chile, Argentina, SE Australia and Tasmania.
Habitat
On trees, shrubs and mossy boulders in shaded, humid habitats. Often locally common on Leptospermum bark.
Detailed description
Thallus orbicular to spreading, 5-15 cm diam., corticolous or muscicolous. Lobes rounded, flattened, closely attached centrally, subascendent apically, margins entire, rounded, sinuous. Upper surface markedly faveolate-reticulate, faveolae 2-3 mm wide, separated by well-defined ridges, olive-brown to reddish-brown to greyish-red or grey (shade forms), matt or shining in parts, sometimes white-maculate (×10 lens). Lower surface distinctly bullate, shining, creamish-buff at margins, dark grey-brown centrally, glabrous. Apothecia pale to dark brown, 5-10 mm broad and 2-5 mm long with a narrow, entire margin. Ascospores biseriate, pale brownish, 2-septate, 14-20 × 7-8 µm.
Chemistry: Hopane-6α, 22-diol (zeorin), perlatolic acid and unidentified pigments.
Similar taxa
Nephroma cellulosum var. isidioferum is distinguished from N. cellulosum var. cellulosum by the presence of isidia on the margins.
Substrate
Corticolous, saxicolous (mossy boulders)
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (28 December 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features 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.