Cladonia cucullata
Description : Basal squamules persistent, 1–3 mm long, 0.5–2(–3.5) mm wide, crenate-lobate to highly incised or occasionally ligulate, involute to erect, ashy greenish above, whitish below and with granular soredia at margins or covering whole lower surface, soredia persistent, developing into masses of subsquamulose lobules and appearing coralloid-isidioid, squamules often forming hood-like structures with podetia arising from inside of hood and with masses of soredia on the outside. Podetia arising from basal squamules, rather short and narrow, 0.1–1.5(–2.5) cm tall, 0.3–1 mm wide, straight or bent, narrowly cup-forming or more commonly ascyphose, forming hood-like structures, whitish green, corticate to irregularly squamulose to ecorticate, and generally abundantly sorediate, especially around outer edges of cups and convex, outer surface of hoods, cups narrow, shallow, flaring from podetial support, 1–2 mm wide, usually barely distinguishable from podetium, flattening, widening and forming hood-like structures, hoods deflexed with straight to rounded lateral edges, sometimes with short (<0.5 mm) narrow, unbranched proliferations along margins, the proliferations with pycnidia. Apothecia and pycnidia brown, generally narrower than supporting stem.
Chemistry : Cortex K− or + dingy yellow-brown, C−, KC−, Pd+ yellow-orange→red, UV−; containing fumarprotocetraric acid.
N: Known also from eastern Australia and Lord Howe I. (Hammer 2002; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).
Australasian
Illustrations : Hammer (2002: 569, figs 24–27).
Cladonia cucullata is characterised by: the hood-like structures formed by its squamules and podetia. It appears often as an indistinct assemblage of sterile squamules and because of its small stature and indistinct general habit it is commonly overlooked.
