Flora of New Zealand Series

Lichen subulatus L., Sp. Pl.: 1153 (1753).

Primary squamules persistent or often sparse and disappearing, small, upper surface whitish-glaucescent to blackening, lower surface white. Podetia growing from upper surface of primary squamues, tall and slender, 30-100 mm tall and to 3.5 mm diam., cylindrical, without cups, or with antler-like and irregular proliferations, or with irregular cups formed by circles of long proliferations, rarely corticate at base (1-2 mm), otherwise entirely decorticate, farinose-sorediate, white to ashy or pale glaucescent, or brownish. Apothecia rare, sessile, on margins of cups or on marginal stalks or on tips of podetia, dark brown, or reddish-brown. Chemistry: Cortex K-, KC-, Pd+ red. Fumarprotocetraric acid and ± atranorin.

N: S: St: Throughout, common and often abundant on peaty and clay soils, decaying logs in forest or open grassland, roadside banks, Leptospermum heaths, s.l. to 1000 m, both in shade and in full sun.

Cosmopolitan

Treated in earlier accounts of New Zealand lichens as C. cornutoradiata. It is difficult to distinguish from C. rei [Suominen and Ahti, Annls bot. fenn. 3: 418-423 (1966)].