Parmelia sulcata
Common name
Shield lichen
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 saxicolous habit; the reticulate, laminal soralia (developing from pseudocyphellae along the lobe ridges); the richly squarrosely branched rhizines; and salazinic acid in the medulla.
Distribution
South Island: Nelson southwards to Otago (Blue Mountains). Stewart Island. Auckland Islands.
Widespread in both Hemispheres, including Marion and Prince Edward Islands in the subantarctic.
Habitat
On rock in subalpine to alpine grasslands, also in coastal habitats, s.l. to 2000 m.
Detailed description
Thallus closely to loosely attached, orbicular to spreading 3-15 cm diam., saxicolous, or corticolous. Lobes sublinear-elongate, subdichotomously branched, rather narrow (to 10 mm wide), margins entire, sinuous. Upper surface pale greenish-grey to blackish-grey often with a distinctly bluish tinge, shining, not maculate, occasionally white-pruinose, wrinkled-faveolate, pseudocyphellae prominent, coarse, elongate and reticulate, soon becoming sorediate. Soredia derived from pseudocyphellae, in lines as a coarse reticulum, or becoming confluent. Lower surface black with little or no naked marginal zone, densely rhizinate. Rhizines black, simple to squarrosely branched. Apothecia and pycnidia not seen in New Zealand material.
Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K+ yellow→red, C−, KC+ red, Pd+ orange; containing atranorin, chloroatranorin, salazinic acid (major) and consalazinic acid (minor).
Similar taxa
Parmelia sulcata is similar to P. saxatilis, and in New Zealand the two species occupy similar habitats with Notoparmelia signifera, but it is distinguished from these species by the presence of soredia associated with the pseudocyphellae reticulum. N. erumpens is separated from P. sulcata by the erumpent, subcoralloid soredia, which are not associated with pseudocyphellae or arranged in any reticulate pattern.
Substrate
Saxicolous, corticolous
Etymology
sulcata: From the Latin sulcus ‘furrow’, meaning grooved
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (1 February 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features 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.