Punctelia borreri
Synonyms
Lichen borreri
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 (rarely saxicolous) habit; the black lower cortex; the apple-green upper cortex; pseudocyphellae that become sorediate; and by gyrophoric acid in the medulla.
Distribution
North Island: Northland to Wellington. South Island: Nelson to Southland.
Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, North and South America, Hawai’i, and Australia.
Habitat
Mainly lowland and coastal or in urban environments, widely distributed and moderately common on bark and lignum, rarely on rock.
Detailed description
Thallus orbicular, closely attached, to 10 cm diam., corticolous rarely saxicolous. Lobes broad (4-10 mm wide), rounded, somewhat dissected, often crowded, margins entire, sinuous. Upper surface greenish-grey to pale mineral grey, margins tinged brownish or sometimes white-pruinose, shining, smooth, wrinkled centrally, pseudocyphellae small, punctiform, most obvious at margins, becoming sorediate centrally. Soralia derived from pseudocyphellae, clustered at centre, sometimes marginal, punctiform to confluent, soredia fine, dusty, white to grey-white. Lower surface black, rhizinate. Rhizines simple, black or pale brown, numerous, to margins. Apothecia rare, subpedicellate, to 8 mm diam., disc brown, matt, plane, imperforate, margins entire, pseudocyphellate and becoming sorediate, thalline exciple pseudocyphellate. Ascospores broadly ellipsoid, 15-18 × 12-15 µm.
Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K-, C+ rose pink, KC+ rose pink, Pd-. Gyrophoric acid and atranorin.
Similar taxa
It is distinguished from Punctelia subrudecta, which has a pale lower surface and lecanoric acid as the main medullary constituent.
Substrate
Corticolous, rarley saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (15 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.