Pseudocyphellaria glabra
Synonyms
Lobaria freycinetii var. glabrescens, Pseudocyphellaria delisea, Pseudocyphellaria freycinetii var. glabra, Pseudocyphellaria freycinetii var. isidioloma, Sticta freycinetii var. glabra, Sticta freycinetii var. glabrescens, Sticta freycinetii var. isidioloma, Sticta freycinetii var. tenuis, Sticta glabra
Family
Lobariaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Characterised by narrowly laciniate to broadly imbricate-complex lobes with entire, sinuous to crenulate or incised and often isidiate margins; an undulate, glossy, shallowly wrinkled but never faveolate upper surface; laminal and marginal, terete isidia; a white medulla; a green photobiont; a pale- to dark-brown or black lower surface with prominent white pseudocyphellae; a two-hopane chemistry with stictic acid metabolites and usnic acid that confers a yellow-green colour to the the upper surface, especially in habitats exposed to full sunlight. It may be parasitised by the lichenicolous fungi *Arthonia maculiformis, *A. pseudocyphellariae, *Perigrapha nitida and *Plectocarpon pseudosticta.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (lat 35 ºS) S to Cook Strait. South Island: NW Nelson to Southland. Stewart Island. Snares Islands. Chatham Islands. Antipodes Islands. Auckland Islands. Campbell Island.
Widespread, coastal to alpine, s.l. to 2000 m.
Also known from E Australia, Tasmania, Lord Howe Island, Macquarie Island, and southern South America.
Habitat
Throughout, lowland to alpine, on bark and twigs of forest trees and shrubs, and in open subalpine to alpine grasslands on rock and soil.
It has the widest range and ecological tolerance of any species of Pseudocyphellaria in New Zealand, being known from all forest types, coastal and subalpine scrub, subalpine to high-alpine grassland and herbfield. It grows luxuriantly in the wettest areas of the country, in forests W of the Main Divide and especially in Fiordland, and it is also found in the very driest areas as well, in Central Otago and eastern parts of South Island.
Detailed description
Thallus orbicular to spreading, loosely to closely attached, 5-10(-15) cm diam. Lobes very variable, thick to delicate and thin or papery, ± rounded, undulate, contiguous to imbricate, margins variously incised, ± ascending, isidiate. Upper surface coriaceous, yellow-green, often browned or blackened, glossy, smooth, undulate or very shallowly ridged, isidiate, without soredia, maculae or pseudocyphellae. Isidia terete, small, simple, mainly marginal, occasionally laminal, rather delicate, often ± eroded at tips. Medulla white. Photobiont green. Lower surface tomentose to margins, apices or lobes with a narrow, glabrous zone, tomentum thick, felted, red-brown to blackish. Pseudocyphellae white, numerous, sunk in tomentum. Apothecia sparse to occasional, emergent, subpedicellate, marginal and laminal, disc red-brown to blackish, matt, ± shining, epruinose, to 5 mm wide, concave to plane, margins and thalline exciple pale tomentose, warted-corrugate. Ascospores brown, oblong-fusiform 1-3-septate, 20-30 × 7-11 µm.
Chemistry: 7β-acetoxyhopan-22-ol, hopane-7β, 22-diol (tr.), hopane-15α,22-diol, stictic (major), constictic (major), cryptostictic (tr.), norstictic (tr.), methylstictic (tr.), 9α-acetoxyconstictic (minor) and usnic acids
Substrate
Corticolous, saxicolous
Etymology
glabra: Hairless
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (28 March 2022). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features 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.