Umbilicaria nylanderiana
Synonyms
Gyrophora nylanderiana Zahlbr.
Family
Umbilicariaceae
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; polyphyllous, often dissected thalli, 1–3(–5) cm diam., with lacerate, irregular margins without rhizinomorphs; the dark-brown to brown-black, or grey-brown, noticeably wrinkled upper surface (strongly so centrally); the sooty, black lower surface, sometimes blotchy and paler at margins, without rhizinomorphs, but with non-septate thalloconidia often densely clustered and producing an impression of being multiseptate; and sessile to subpedicellate, convex, black, gyrose apothecia.
Distribution
North Island: Wellington (Mt Ruapehu). South Island: Marlborough (Mt Tapae-o-uenuku, Crimea Range), Canterbury (Craigieburn Range, Mt Torlesse, Banks Peninsula, Mt Hutt, Mt Cooper Murchison Valley, Mt Cook, Mt Peel, Kirkliston Range), Otago (Rees Valley, Cardrona, St Mary Range, Mt Pisga, Kakanui Mountains, Dunstan Mountains, Old Man Range, Poolburn Reservoir, Rough Ridge, Lake Onslow, Rock & Pillar Range, Maungatua).
Known also from Scotland, Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Australia and Antarctica.
Habitat
A commonly collected, brown-black to dark green-brown, fragile, rather thin-lobed species, often forming considerable swards, on flattish surfaces (tops of rocks and outcrops) in full sun, 680–2122 m. Often with U. polyphylla and species of Xanthoparmelia.
Detailed description
Thallus 1-2.5 cm diam., mono- or polyphyllous, thin, crisp, fragile, brittle when dry, very irregular to ± rosette-forming, margins ragged-incised, inrolled or ascending. Upper surface dull, smooth or plicate-rugose to ± shallowly or coarsely papillate, greyish-brown or buff to dark brown or blackened. Lower surface flat, smooth, black, ± uniformly sooty, with minute thallospores, rhizines absent.
Chemistry: Gyrophoric (major), lecanoric, umbilicaric (minor) and hiascic (tr.) acids.
Substrate
Saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (22 January 2024). 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.
https://italic.units.it/index.php?procedure=taxonpage&num=2412