Cladonia fimbriata

FAMILY Cladoniaceae

AUTHORITY Cladonia fimbriata (L.) Fr.

FLORA CATEGORY Lichen – Native

ENDEMIC TAXON No

ENDEMIC GENUS No

ENDEMIC FAMILY No

STRUCTURAL CLASS Lichen - Fruticose

CURRENT CONSERVATION STATUS 2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO

BRIEF DESCRIPTION Characterised by: the abruptly expanded, goblet-shaped scyphi; the absence of a cortex on the podetial surface; and entirely farinose-sorediate podetia.

DISTRIBUTION North Island: Wellington (Waipakahi Valley Kaimanawa Mts, Pongaroa). South Island: Marlborough (Mt Fishtail), Westland (Whitcombe Valley), Canterbury (Mt Binser, Ashburton, Governor’s Bush Mt Cook, Ben Ohau Ra., Te Kohai I., Lake Pukaki), Otago (Turret Head Mt Earnslaw, Coronet Peak, Old Man Ra., Hawkdun Ra., Mt Kyeburn, Mt Kohurau St Mary Ra., Green Island Bush, Berwick, Kaka Point), Southland (Cascade Cove ridgetop, Dusky Sound, Invercargill). Stewart Island: (Port William, Wilson Bay, Port Pegasus). Campbell Island: (Lyall Ridge). Antipodes Islands: Throughout, s.l. to 2300 m. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, North, Central and South America, Australia, Tasmania, Falkland Is, and Antarctica.

HABITAT A very common and widespread species both in shade and in full sun; on clay banks, roadside banks and cuttings, peat, Leptospermum heath, bases of tree trunks, decaying stumps, shaded rock faces, tussock grassland, and amongst Haastia in fellfield and scree.

FEATURES Primary squamules persistent or disappearing, 2-10 mm long, digitately or irregularly lobed, crenate to sinuate or incised at margins, flat to involute or concave above, upper surface glaucescent or olive-green or pale glaucescent, lower surface white, esorediate or sparsely granular-sorediate below. Podetia arising from upper surface of primary squamules, 10-20 mm tall, entire, wineglass-shaped, cups flaring rapidly and evenly from narrow (1-2 mm), cylindrical supporting podetium, cups regular, denticulate, margins not or rarely proliferating, interior closed, surface smooth, corticate for basal 1-2 mm then mainly decorticate, farinose sorediate, whitish-green to green, white on loss of soredia. Apothecia sessile, brown, at cup margins or on short marginal stalks. Chemistry: Cortex K−, or brownish, C−, KC−, Pd+ red; containing fumarprotocetraric acid (major) and protocetraric acid (tr.).

SIMILAR TAXA Sometimes with minutely scyphiferous proliferations arising along margins in which case it might be confused with C. subulata, the proliferations of which are always subulate. C. chlorophaea has more gradually tapering scyphi, ±corticate or ecorticate podetia, and coarse, granular soredia. SUBSTRATE Terricolous.

ATTRIBUTION Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (10 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

MORE INFORMATION https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/cladonia-fimbriata/