Flora of New Zealand Series

Description : Primary thallus squamulose soon disappearing, squamules 2–3 × 1 mm, laciniate, white, ecorticate (bit not cottony) below. Podetia brownish green to brown-grey to whitish, black and dying at base, slender, terete, 3–5 cm tall, 0.5–1 mm diam., with narrow terminal cups. Cups (0.2–)0.4–1.5(–2) mm wide, unbranched or 1–3 times dichotomously branched and with short marginal proliferations. Surface of podetia smooth and somewhat squamulose near base, to areolate-corticate towards apices, becoming ecorticate, schizidiate, verruculose with age, but without soredia; stereome horny, translucent, central canal minutely fibrose. Apothecia common, stalked, on cup margins, dark-brown. Pycnidia stalked or sessile at cup margins.

Chemistry : Cortex K− to + dingy yellow to brown, Pd+ red; containing fumarprotocetraric and protocetraric acids.

S: Otago. On roadside banks and cuttings. Known also from southern South America (Ahti & Kashiwadani 1984).

Austral

Illustration : Ahti & Kashiwadani (1984: 150, pl. I, fig. 1).

Cladonia aspera is characterised by: regularly branching podetia, with narrow scyphi, proliferating from the margins; an esorediate, verruculose-schizidiate cortex, smooth in young podetia; basally blackened podetia (in mature specimens); and the fumarprotocetraric acid chemosyndrome (Hammer 2003b).