Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lichen retiger Bory, Voy Quatre. Iles d'Afrique 3: 392 (1804).

Description : Flora (1985: 259–260).

Chemistry : Cortex K−; medulla K−, C−, KC−. Pd−; containing retigeranic acid A (minor), retigeranic acid B (major), retigeranic acid C (minor), retigeranic acid D (tr.) and thelephoric acid in tomentum (Elix 2001a: 44).

N: South Auckland (Kaueranga River, Coromandel Ra.; Mangaotaki Valley, King Country). Tolerant of deep shade in moist, humid habitats. Growing as an epiphyte of Dacrycarpus dacrydioides or among mosses on forest floor where it is often overlooked. Apparently rare and local. It is also known from Japan and the Himalaya, Thailand, North America (Alaska, British Columbia), South America, South Africa, East Africa and Australia (Krog 1968; Yoshimura 1971, 1974; Galloway 1981b; Swinscow & Krog 1988; Goward et al. 1994b; Goward & Arsenault 2000; Filson 1996; Elix 2001a; Wolseley et al. 2002; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Indo-Malesian

Illustrations : Krog (1968: 39, fig. 8); Yoshimura (1971: 292, fig. 22O–R; 357, pl. 21C–D; 1974: pl. 36, fig. 361); Swinscow & Krog (1988: 146. fig. 76); Goward et al. (1994b: 70, fig. 3A).

Lobaria retigera is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the reticulate–faveolate upper surface; laminal, terete to coralloid–branched isidia on the reticulate ridges; a cyanobacterial photobiont; and a reticulate dark tomentum on the lower surface. New Zealand material approaches the recently described L. pseudoretigera Sipman from Papua New Guinea (Sipman 2004; 599–602). For a discussion of L. retigera s. str., and L. pseudoretigera see Sipman (2004: 600–601).