Xanthoparmelia pulla
Synonyms
Parmelia pulla Ach., Neofuscelia pulla (Ach.) Essl.
Family
Parmeliaceae
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
Xanthoparmelia pulla shows the widest spectrum of morphological variation in the genus. Specimens vary continuously in habit from discrete, closely appressed rosettes to irregular and strongly pulvinate clumps. Lobes vary from relatively thin, narrow and sometimes linear to rather large and broadly rounded. Thallus colour and texture are equally variable, smooth and wrinkled combine variously with pale and dark. The lower surface is black and the species lacks isidia.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Three Kings Islands) to Wellington. South Island: Marlborough to Central Otago.
Occurring elsewhere in Europe, the Canary Islands, Asia Minor, North and South Africa and Australia.
Habitat
Mainly coastal and northern on rock and soil.
Detailed description
Thallus appressed throughout, to strongly pulvinate or subpannose, loosely to moderately or tightly adnate, 2-12(-15) cm diam., saxicolous and terricolous. Lobes 1-5 mm wide, flat to convex or concave, short and rounded, to somewhat elongate or linear, ± discrete to imbricate or loosely entangled. Upper surface olive-brown to yellowish-brown, red-brown or dark brown, paler at apices, smooth to weakly pitted or wrinkled at apices, ± smooth to fissured or wrinkled centrally, developing ± upright subfruticose branches, dull throughout to somewhat shiny, especially at apices, occasionally partly pruinose, without isidia. Lower surface dark brown to black, paler at apices, smooth and dull or in part slightly shining, moderately to densely rhizinate. Rhizines concolorous with lower surface, to 1.7 mm long. Apothecia common, sessile to short-pedicellate, concave to plane to subconvex, to 7(-11) mm diam., margins entire to weakly crenate or lacerate. Ascospores ellipsoid, 7-10.5 × 3.5-7 µm. Pycnidia common. Conidia 4.5-7 × 1 µm, bifusiform.
Chemistry: Cortex K−, HNO3+ pale to dark blue-green; medulla K−, C− or + rose, KC− or + rose, Pd−, UV−; containing stenosporic acid or divaricatic acid, with accessory perlatolic acid and occasionally acessory gyrophoric acid.
Similar taxa
Similar to X. glabrans, X. imitatrix and X. luteonotata. Xanthoparmelia luteonotata differs in the pale-tan to brown lower surface.
Substrate
Saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (11 January 2024). 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.