Parmotrema crinitum
Common name
Salted ruffle lichen
Synonyms
Parmelia crinita
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 corticolous/saxicolous habit; the adnate thallus; ciliate lobe margins; laminal isidia which are often ciliate; and the presence of stictic acid metabolites in the medulla.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Three Kings Islands), South Auckland (Kaimanawa Ranges) South Island: Nelson (Puponga).
A cosmopolitan species, widespread in humid habitats in temperate and tropical regions and in the Southern Hemisphere known from Chile, South Africa, Australia, Tristan da Cunha, and Gough Island.
Habitat
On bark and rock, most common in northern coastal vegetation (Avicennia marina subsp. australasica, Leptospermum agg., Vitex lucens).
Detailed description
Thallus orbicular to spreading, loosely attached, to 10 cm diam., corticolous. Lobes rounded, to 8 mm wide, margins sinuous, brown, moderately ciliate, cilia fine, black, to 4 mm long. Upper surface smooth, matt, pale greenish-grey to whitish, becoming reticulate-cracked centrally, moderately to densely isidiate. Isidia marginal and laminal, small, protuberant, to 1 mm tall, terete, brown-tipped, simple, becoming coralloid-branched and eventually sublobulate, often with small (1 mm), black cilia at base. Lower surface black with a smooth, shining, wrinkled, pale brown, naked marginal zone. Rhizines central, dense, black, simple. Apothecia not seen.
Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K+ yellow, C−, Pd+ orange; containing atranorin, chloroatranorin, stictic acid (major), constictic acid (minor), cryptostictic acid (tr.), nortstictic acid (tr.), ± menegazziaic acid (tr.) and connorstictic acid (tr.).
Similar taxa
It is distinguished from Parmotrema mellissii by differences in chemistry, more numerous rhizines, and isidia that are never sorediate.
Substrate
Corticolous, saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (13 December 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features and Similar taxa 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.