Cladonia furcata
Family
Cladoniaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Fruticose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
A very variable species with small scales at the base of the podetia.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Little Barrier Island), South Auckland (Penguin Island), Taupō, Pohangina Valley. South Island: Nelson Lakes, Westland, Canterbury (Dog Stream Hanmer, Mt Binser, Sebastopol), Southland (Esperance Valley Fiordland). Campbell Island. Antipodes Islands: (Waterhouse-Reliance Saddle).
Known also from Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, North Central and South America, Africa, Oceania and Australia.
Habitat
Mainly subalpine, amongst rocks, rarely coastal, in Fuscospora forest, Leptospermum heath on soil, rotting logs and tussock bases in grassland.
Detailed description
Primary squamules usually disappearing, medium, 2.5 mm long and broad, irregularly or subdigitately lobed, broadening slightly towards apices, crenate, ascending, flat, upper surface glaucescent to olive-green or brownish-green, lower side white, esorediate. Podetia growing from upper surface and margins of primary squamules, dying at base, growing apically, 15-80(-150) mm tall, to 2 mm diam., without cups, cylindrical or widening towards joints, branching repeatedly isotomicdichotomous, or sympodial, branches near tips sometimes in whorls or corymbose, diverging at wide angles, entangled, forming mats, axils widened, open. Cortex continuous or smoothly areolate, rarely slightly verruculose, ± squamulose, shining or matt, glaucescent to whitish-glaucescent to red-brown or dark brown, esorediate. Apothecia small, terminal, ± spherical, dark brown or red-brown, rarely pale.
Chemistry: Cortex K- rarely +, yellow to dingy brownish, KC-, Pd+ red. Fumarprotocetraric acid, ± atranorin.
Similar taxa
Cladonia furcata is distinguished from C. scabrisucula by the corticate (never sorediate) podetia and the fewer podetial squamules. C. furcata is a variable species and requires further study since C. furcata s. lat. may contain several taxa that are still not understood fully. Exuberant specimens may reach 10 cm tall, with a rather thick medullary layer. These entities resemble C. macroptera Räsänen.
Substrate
Terricolous, lignicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (10 April 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.