Xanthoparmelia taractica
Synonyms
Parmelia taractica
Family
Parmeliaceae
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
Brief description
Characterised by the saxicolous/terricolous habit; a densely entangled mat-forming thallus, predominantly on soil; broad, subrotund lobes; a pale and densely rhizinate lower surface; and salazinic acid in the medulla.
Distribution
South Island: Canterbury (Selwyn Gorge – T.W.N. Beckett, May 1894), Otago (Alexandra, Observation Point, Manorburn Reservoir). Recently recorded on Banks Peninsula (Glenny 2022). Still very poorly collected in New Zealand.
Palaeotropical. Known also from Australia , Mexico and southern South America.
Habitat
On rocks and soil overlying rocks in arid grassland.
Detailed description
Thallus loosely to moderately adnate on soil or occasionally on rocks, 7–10 cm diam. Lobes variably often forming an entangled mat, ±plane, subirregular to linear-elongate, primary and marginal lobes subdichotomously branched, 2–4(–8) mm wide, with subrotund apices, 0.5–1.5 mm wide, without lobules. Upper surface yellow-green darkening with age, glossy, emaculate, smooth to slightly wrinkled, and developing cracks in older parts, without isidia or soredia. Lower surface wrinkled, papillate, often glossy, pale-brown to brown, darker centrally, rhizinate. Rhizines moderately dense, especially near margins, simple, often tufted, rarely dichotomously branched, slender, concolorous with lower surface. Apothecia occasional, sessile, 3–6 mm diam., disc concave to plane, red-brown; thalline exciple wrinkled, entire, thick, involute to crenulate. Ascospores 8–10 × 5–6 μm. Pycnidia common. Conidia bifusiform, 5–7 × 0.5 μm.
Chemistry: Cortex K−; medulla K+ yellow→dark-red, KC+ red, Pd+ orange; containing salazinic, consalazinic and usnic acids.
Substrate
Saxicolous, terricolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (16 June 2023). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features 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.
Glenny D. 2022: iNaturalist observation. https://inaturalist.nz/observations/110123002. Date accessed: 16 June 2023.