Peltigera canina
Family
Peltigeraceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Data Deficient | Qualifiers: SO, Sp
Brief description
Characterised by the terricolous habit; its large, rounded lobes with inflexed margins and evenly tomentose upper surface; the pale lower surface with distinct, raised, whitish veins and richly branched rhizines having confluent bases.
Distribution
South Island: Canterbury (Mt Cook), Otago.
Cosmopolitan. It is widespread, arctic to temperate in the Northern Hemisphere (North America, Britain, Scandinavia, Europe, Asia, Africa), and in South America and Australia in the Southern Hemisphere where it appears to be scattered and rare.
Habitat
Known so far in NZ from subalpine situations in both adventive and native grasslands.
Detailed description
Thallus forming broadly radiating patches, 4–8(–10) cm diam. Lobes 1–2 cm wide, 3–6 cm long. Margins entire to very shallowly scalloped or incised, slightly thickened below, noticeably downturned at apices. Upper surface dark livid grey-brown to reddish grey-brown when wet, pale grey-brown when dry, densely and uniformly tomentose, unevenly wrinkled to ±bullate in central parts. Lower surface whitish or pale whitish buff at margins, darkening centrally. Veins conspicuous, raised, narrow, anastomosing, pale-buff at margins, darkening to grey-brown centrally, interstices lenticular (×10 lens). Rhizines penicillate to flocculent, discrete to ±confluent at base, pale-buff or whitish at margins, grey-brown centrally, 1–4 mm long. Apothecia not seen.
Chemistry: TLC−, all reactions negative.
Similar taxa
It is distinct from P. membranacea, which has a thinner thallus, a coarser venation, more slender rhizines, which have a distinctive erect tomentum (×10 lens).
Substrate
Terricolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (29 August 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.