Usnea molliuscula
Description : Flora (1985: 600).
Chemistry : Medulla K+ yellow→red; containing salazinic and usnic acids.
N: Northland (Little Barrier I.), Gisborne (Mt Hikurangi), Wellington (Ruapehu). S: Canterbury (Lewis Pass, Cass). On branches, probably more widely distributed in Nothofagus forests. Known also from Australia (Stevens 1999, 2004b; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).
Australasian
Illustrations : Stevens (1999: 62, fig. 34); Kantvilas & Jarman (1999: 151).
Usnea molliuscula is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the conspicuously inflated primary branches; the thin cortex; copious papillae and a rich development of lateral fibrils; an absence of isidia and soredia; numerous terminal apothecia; and salazinic acid (K+ yellow→red) in the medulla. It shares a similar habitat to Usnea xanthophana (q.v.) but is distinguished from it by the above characters.
