Opuscula Philolichenum, 11: 141–144. 2012. *pdf effectively published online 21September2012 via (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/philolichenum/) Puttea (Pilocarpaceae) in eastern North America 1 2 WILLIAM R. BUCK AND JAMES C. LENDEMER ABSTRACT. – Puttea margaritella is reported new to eastern North America from a single collection from the Gaspé Peninsula of Québec, Canada and P. exsequens is reported as new to North America from a single collection from New Brunswick, Canada. INTRODUCTION Puttea S. Stenroos & Huhtinen was described a few years ago (Stenroos et al. 2009) to accommodate a single species of hepaticolous lichen, Lecidea margaritella Hulting. The marginally lichenized fungus was reported to be restricted to growing on the hepatic Ptilidium pulcherrimum (Weber) Hampe. However, when the species was reported from western North America (Spribille et al. 2010) it was reported to also grow on Ptilidium californicum (Austin) Underw. Stenroos et al. (2009) speculated that Puttea is either a necrotrophic parasite or colonizes already dead, decaying shoots of the hepatic. Indeed, the material found by us in eastern Canada is growing over the dead and decaying portions of the Ptilidium pulcherrimum, not on the living, reddish plants. The apothecia are white and one might be misled in thinking they are conspicuous, but the largest ones are only 0.4 mm in diameter and therefore the species is essentially invisible without magnification. The scanty thallus is not visible in the field (and scarcely so under the dissecting microscope). Until recently it was known only from boreal areas of Europe, specifically Fennoscandia (including adjacent Karelia) and woodland areas of central Europe. Spribille et al. (2010) reported finding the lichen in Alaska, Montana and British Columbia. A second species was recently transferred into Puttea (Davydov & Printzen 2012) because of anatomical similarities to the type species. Puttea exsequens (Nyl.) Printzen & Davydov grows on decorticated wood and had previously been accommodated in a broadly circumscribed Lecidea Ach. A generous reviewer (Zdeněk Palice) called to our attention that material (mis)identified as Lecidea symmictella Nyl. may well be P. exsequens. Here we report on the occurrence of both species of Puttea in eastern North America; recognizing P. margaritella (Hulting) S. Stenroos & Huhtinen for the first time from this half of the continent and P. exsequens for the first time from North America. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study is based on material collected by the authors and deposited in the herbarium of The New York Botanical Garden (NY). Morphological (dissecting and compound light microscopy) were carried out using the methods outlined by Lendemer et al. (2008). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The first author was editor of The Bryologist when Puttea was published in that journal and, ever since reading the manuscript, it became a goal of his to find Puttea margaritella in eastern North America. 1 WILLIAM R. BUCK – Institute of Systematic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458- 5126, U.S.A. – e-mail: [email protected] 2 JAMES C. LENDEMER – Institute of Systematic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458-5126, U.S.A. – e-mail: [email protected] 141 Figure 1. Puttea margaritella (from Buck 59713, NY). A. Habit (dry). B. Asci with KI. C. Cross-section of apothecium. D. Cross-section of apothecium in polarized light, showing crystals. Scale bars = 0.25 mm: A; 100 µm: C and D; 20 µm: B. Initially he scanned the herbarium material of Ptilidium pulcherrimum in NY, but without success. Most recently, the 21st Tuckerman Lichen Workshop was held in Parc national de la Gaspésie in the Gaspé Peninsula of Québec, Canada. This area is well known as an interesting biogeographic area and is the northern limit of the North American Deciduous Forest Biome with a large representation of boreal bryophyte species (Belland & Favreau 1988, Favreau 1987). Therefore, he was especially diligent in looking for this lichen during the fieldwork associated with the workshop. His search was encouraged by the fact that Ptilidium pulcherrimum is one of the most common hepatics in the park, and is often dominant on rotting logs and stumps. Nevertheless, after a few days of repeated looking with a hand-lens at multiple populations of Ptilidium, he remained unsuccessful. Our last day in the field was scheduled to be in the vicinity of Lac-aux-Américains, a locality previously botanized by M. L. Fernald along with J. F. Collins, who collected lichens (Riddle 1909). The lake margin itself did not prove to be very interesting or accessible and so Buck took a trail from the lake up to Mont Xalibu, through a moist forest dominated by Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. At the highest point that he reached on the trail, ca. 730 m, he decided to look at one last population of Ptilidium, growing on a decaying Abies stump, before turning back. Much to his delight, once he looked at the hepatic with a hand- lens he could see very small white apothecia. He had been looking for hepaticolous fungi during the workshop and had found several, but was optimistic that this might finally be the Puttea. Back in the make- shift microscope laboratory we had set up in the park Le Centre de Découverte, we were able to look at the specimen with more magnification. Although we did not have the relevant literature available to us there, it was generally agreed that the specimen was indeed Puttea margaritella. Back home, at The New York Botanical Garden, Dr. Richard Harris verified the identification microscopically. In the protologue of Puttea (Stenroos et al. 2009), the ascospores were reported to be 5.3–6.3–7.3 × 2.3–2.5–3.0 µm. The 142 Figure 2. Puttea exsequens (A-B) and geographic distribution of the species of Puttea in North America as presently known (C). A. Habit of European population of P. exsequens (Malme s.n. = Lich. Suec. Exs. 44, NY). B. Habit of North American population of P. exsequens (Buck 57774). C, geographic distributions of P. exsequens (blue dot) and P. margaritella (yellow dots = previous reports, red dot = new report here). Scale bars = 0.5 mm. Québec material has slightly shorter spores (4.8–6.2 × 2.1–2.8 µm) but otherwise is a very good match for European material (the Québec material is illustrated here in Figure 1). Therefore, the distribution of P. margaritella in North America is greatly extended from that previous reported by Spribille et al. (2010) (see Figure 2C herein). After having written a first draft of this manuscript, it was suggested that the second species of Puttea, P. exsequens, be discussed. As mentioned above, it was suggested that material identified as Lecidea symmictella Nyl. might actually represent the second species of Puttea. Although externally similar to P. exsequens in appearance, L. symmictella can be distinguished by its narrower ascospores (1.5– 3.0 µm vs. 3.0–4.5 µm wide in P. exsequens; fide Davydov & Printzen (2012)). Lecidea symmictella was only recently reported from North America (Bennett 2006) from a single collection from Wisconsin. Unfortunately the material was not discussed in detail and we cannot be certain it represents L. symmictella. The taxon was also reported by Spribille and Björk (2010) from two collections, one from Montana and the other from the Thunder Bay District of Ontario, Canada. Although we have not seen these collections we suspect they actually represent true L. symmictella based on the 143 discussion presented in that publication. In 2011, at the 20th Tuckerman Lichen Workshop, held in New Brunswick, Canada, the first author collected a specimen which was identified as L. symmictella. However, upon reexamination of the material by us, it proved to be P. exsequens (see Figures 2A–B for a comparison of European and North American material of P. exsequens). Puttea exsequens was previously known from Europe (e.g., Austria, Norway, Romania, and Sweden) and Asiatic Russia (Altai Republic) (Davydov & Printzen 2012). Here the range of the species is extended to include North America as well (Figure 2C). Specimen of Puttea exsequens examined. – CANADA. NEW BRUNSWICK. CHARLOTTE CO.: Saint Patrick Parish, Caughey-Taylor Nature Preserve, E of NB 127, N and E of Sam Orr Pond, 45°09’56”N, 67°02’49”W, rhyolite and basaltic bluffs in mixed conifer (Picea, Abies, Thuja) and Betula forest, 2.v.2011, growing on decorticated wood, W.R. Buck 57774 (NY-01221841). Specimen of Puttea margaritella examined. – CANADA. QUÉBEC. M.R.C. DE LA HAUTE- GASPÉSIE: Parc national de la Gaspésie, along Sentier de la Grande Traversée Est toward Mont Xalibu from Lac-aux-Américains (48°57’26”N, 66°01’36”W, 685 m) to Abies balsamea forest at ca. 730 m (48°57’35”N, 66°01’38”W), moist fir forest with granitic outcrops, 5.vii.2012, on Ptilidium on rotting Abies stump, W.R. Buck 59713 (NY-1596214). ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We especially thank Jean Gagnon for organizing the 2012 Tuckerman Workshop and for providing the opportunity to finally see the Gaspé Peninsula and for being a good field companion on the morning that Puttea was found. Dick Harris verified the identification of the lichen and provided the micrographs. Stephen Clayden and Zdeněk Palice are thanked for their reviews of the manuscript. We also thank Stephen Clayden for organizing the 2011 Tuckerman Workshop in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. Finally, we thank all participants in the Tuckerman workshops for their interest and enthusiasm. LITERATURE CITED Belland, R. J. and M. Favreau. 1988. The moss flora of the Gaspé Peninsula (Québec, Canada): list of species and preliminary analysis. Canadian Journal of Botany, 66: 1780–1799. Bennett, J. P. 2006. New or overlooked Wisconsin lichen records. Evansia, 23: 28–33.