Notoparmelia cunninghamii
Synonyms
Parmelia (Hypotrachyna) brownii
Family
Parmeliaceae
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 firm, shiny thallus; the well-developed linear, marginal soralia and salazinic acid in the medulla.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Tutamoe) South Island: Nelson to Southland, mainly coastal, though common locally inland East of the Main Divide from Lewis Pass to Fiordland. Stewart Island. Snares Islands. Auckland Islands. Campbell Island. Antipodes Islands.
Also in South East Australia and southern South America.
Habitat
From s.l. to 1000 m in areas of moderately high rainfall – most commonly epiphytic on trees and shrubs in open situations, rarely on rocks.
Detailed description
Thallus loosely attached, to 15 cm diam., rather thick, coriaceous, corticolous or saxicolous. Lobes rounded to broadly linear-laciniate (12-20 × 5 mm), undulate centrally, margins entire, sinuous or subcrenate, black and shining, often ascending and slightly thickened. Upper surface smooth, waxy, often white-pruinose, sometimes coarsely wrinkled, greenish-grey (becoming distinctly yellowish on storage), pseudocyphellae rather few, small, fleck-like, mainly at margins. Soralia common, marginal, rarely laminal, globose to linear-confluent, soredia whitish, becoming grey-black with age, rather coarse and granular. Lower surface black, rhizinate, often with a smooth, naked, shining, brown marginal zone. Rhizines black, simple to squarrosely branched, sparse to dense. Apothecia rare, subpedicellate, disc plane to distinctly concave, matt, brown, imperforate, margins entire or shallowly incised, thalline exciple strongly wrinkled and pseudocyphellate, not sorediate. Ascospores ellipsoid, 11-15 × 6.5-8.3 µm. Pycnidia rare, minute, black, punctiform, towards margins.
Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K+ yellow→ red, C−, Pd + orange; containing atranorin, chloroatranorin, salazinic acid (major), consalazinic acid (minor) and ±lobaric acid.
Similar taxa
This taxa has affinities with Parmelia sulcata but is distinguished from it by the larger, undulate lobes, the smaller, scattered pseudocyphellae and by the mainly marginal soralia which are not derived from pseudocyphellae.
Substrate
Corticolous, rarely saxicolous
Etymology
cunninghamii: Named after Allan Cunningham (1791–1839) who was an English botanist and explorer, primarily known for his travels to Australia (New South Wales) and New Zealand to collect plants. Author of Florae Insularum Novae Zelandiae Precursor, 1837–40 (Introduction to the flora of New Zealand).
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (25 February 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.