Punctelia subflava
Synonyms
Cetraria corallophora, Parmelia rutidota var. vestita, Parmelia subflava, Punctelia rudecta
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 dorsiventral, lobulate isidia; relatively sparse pseudocyphellae on lobe margins and thalline exciple of apothecia; the pale lower surface; and lecanoric acid as major medullary constituent.
Distribution
North Island: South Auckland (Coromandel Peninsula), Wellington (National Park), Hawke’s Bay (Napier, Akitio). South Island: Banks Peninsula to Southland, mainly coastal and lowland, extending inland E of the Main Divide to Peel Forest and the Hunter, Matukituki and Dart valleys. Auckland Islands: (Enderby Island).
Also in S and E Australia.
Habitat
On decorticated wood (fence posts etc.), bark and rock, s.l. to 1000 m.
Detailed description
Thallus spreading, closely attached 4-8(-20) cm diam., corticolous or saxicolous. Lobes rounded, crenate or regularly incised, dissected, somewhat crowded, margins sinuous, black, shining, isidiate. Upper surface smooth, shining, glossy, wrinkled, becoming ± faveolate at or near margins, wrinkled- ridged centrally, pale greenish-white or greenish-grey or pale bluish-grey, often brownish at margins, pseudocyphellae small, punctiform, mainly marginal, not becoming sorediate. Isidia flattened, lobate-squamiform, rarely terete and simple, becoming strongly dorsiventral, marginal in young lobes, spreading densely over surface of older lobes. Lower surface uniform pale buff or tan with a smooth, pale, naked marginal zone. Rhizines central, simple, pale, long, often densely developed. Apothecia occasional, pedicellate, to 10 mm diam., disc dark red-brown, matt, smooth, imperforate, plane to deeply concave, thalline exciple concolorous with thallus, pseudocyphellate and isidiate. Spores subglobose to broadly ellipsoid, 15-20 × 10-12 µm.
Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K−, C+ red, KC+ red, Pd−; containing ±atranorin, ±chloroatranorin and lecanoric acid (major).
Similar taxa
Punctelia subflava is distinguished from P. novozelandica by the pale lower surface, and is distinguished from P. subrudecta by the absence of soralia.
Substrate
Corticolous, saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (29 November 2021). 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.