Pseudocyphellaria pubescens
Synonyms
Lobaria pubescens, Sticta grandis, Sticta muelleriana, Sticta pubescens
Family
Peltigeraceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened
Brief description
Characterised by linear-elongate to rounded, thick, coriaceous lobes with entire to crenate margins that are often tomentose; a coarsely scabrid-areolate upper surface, wrinkled, pitted to irregularly faveolate, glabrous to entirely tomentose; a white medulla; a green algal phobiont; a densely tomentose lower surface with conspicuous, yellow pseudocyphellae; marginal pedicellate apothecia the disc dark red-brown to black, grey- to white-pruinose when young; ascospores grey-brown, thickened, 1–3-septate; and a chemistry containing hopane triterpenoids, pigments, depsidones and metabolites of the stictic acid complex.
Distribution
North Island: Gisborne (Lake Waikaremoana), Hawke’s Bay (Kaweka Ranges), Wellington (Kaimanawa Ranges). South Island: Nelson (Cobb Valley) to Fiordland. Close to and E of the Main Divide, montane to subalpine, 200–1050 m.
Habitat
Primarily a forest species in cool, humid habitats with moderate light and high rainfall, Mainly an epiphyte of Fuscospora (red, mountain and silver beech), it often forms very large rosettes (up to 25 cm diam.) in open beech forest, close to or at forest margins.
Detailed description
Thallus rather loosely attached, 5-15(-25) cm diam., ± orbicular, rosetteforming to spreading. Lobes rather thick, elongate-laciniate, to 10 mm wide, subdichotomously branching, margins entire or variously notched or incised, ± sinuous, distinctly thickened, conspicuously white-pubescent, without soredia, isidia or phyllidia. Upper surface bright lettuce-green when wet, pale yellowish-brown or buff when dry, smooth, coriaceous, ± distinctly reticulate-faveolate, ridges low, smooth, slightly scabrid centrally, ± pubescent or short, white-tomentose marginally and often also laminally, tomentum often abraded in patches, without soredia, isidia or pseudocyphellae. Medulla white. Photobiont green. Lower surface densely tomentose to margins, pale buff marginally, dark brown centrally. Pseudocyphellae yellow, conspicuous, large. Apothecia marginal or submarginal, subpedicellate, to 8 mm diam., disc shallowly concave, matt, black, with a fine, grey-white pruina in young fruits, margins pale flesh-coloured, entire at first, becoming distinctly incised-coronate, thalline exciple coarsely verrucose-areolate. Ascospores brown, 1-septate, 20-35 × 5-8(-10) µm.
Chemistry: Methyl evernate (tr.), tenuiorin (major), methyl lecanorate (tr.), methyl gyrophorate, gyrophoric acid (tr.), hopane-15α,22-diol, hopane-6α,7β,22-triol, norstictic (tr.), salazinic(tr.), stictic (major), cryptostictic (tr.), menegazziac (tr.) and constictic (minor) acids and traces of pulvinic acid, pulvinic dilactone and calycin.
Substrate
Corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (13 September 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.