Notocladonia cochleata
Synonyms
Ramalea cochleata Müll.Arg
Family
Cladoniaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Fruticose
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: DP, RR, SO, Sp
Brief description
Characterised by the terricolous habit; the persistent, crowded primary squamules; podetia 2–10 mm tall, arising from margins of squamules and becoming fissured–clathrate, branch axils open; and terminal, clustered–peltate apothecia at tips of podetia.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (North of Te Kao), Wellington (Silica Rapids, Tongariro National Park). South Island: Nelson (Red Hill). Probably more widely distributed in New Zealand, though still very poorly collected here.
Also in Australia.
Habitat
In the north, locally abundant below stunted Leptospermum scoparium and scattered Hakea, on leaf litter overlying open clay-cemented sand pavement at 80 m and associating with Cladonia capitellata, C. vulcanica, and abundant Thysanothecium hookeri. In Nelson on serpentine soil at c. 1500 m and associating there with Cladonia murrayi, C. ochrochlora, C. pleurota and C. sulcata.
Detailed description
Primary thallus squamulose, squamules scattered to ± imbricate-crowded, terricolous. Squamules 0.2-2 mm wide and to 3.5 mm long, plane to subconvex, spathulate or cuneate, margins entire or minutely crenulate or occasionally ± bifurcate, ± ascending, not noticeably thickened. Upper surface pale yellow-green to olivaceous or brownish, smooth, matt, minutely maculate (×10 lens). Lower surface white, arachnoid. Pseudopodetia 2-8(-10) mm tall, concolorous with squamules or paler, ± minutely maculate, arising from margins of squamules, 0.1-0.5 mm diam. at base and there ± terete, expanding above to 1-2 mm diam., fissured-clathrate towards apices, exposing white medullary hyphae. Apothecia terminal, clustered-peltate, 0.05-0.3(-0.8) mm diam., disc round to irregular, plane to subconvex, brown-pink, sometimes ± white-pruinose, margins entire to crenulate, paler than disc, persistent. Ascospores simple, 6-9 × 3-4 µm.
Chemistry: Cortex K−, KC+ yellow; medulla K−, C−, Pd−; containing usnic, divaricatic and nordivaricatic acids.
Similar taxa
Separated from Notocladonia undulata by the open podetia axils.
Substrate
Terricolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (23 April 2023). Information in the 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.