Flora of New Zealand Series

Sticta intricata Delise, Mém. Soc. linn. Calvados 2: 96 (1825).

S. limbata var. subflavida Church. Bab., Fl. N.Z. 2: 283 (1855).

Sticta limbata var. subflavida. Lectotype: New Zealand. Middle I. [South I.]. D. Lyall, BM!

Thallus orbicular to irregularly spreading, loosely attached, corticolous or saxicolous, to 20 cm diam. Lobes very variable, broad, sparsely incised, to narrow, linear-laciniate, margins entire to deeply incised, often sorediate. Upper surface shining, dark brown to pale yellowish-buff, often with a bluish-lilac tinge, or reddish-brown, smooth to ± reticulate-faveolate, sorediate, without isidia, maculae or pseudocyphellae. Soredia farinose to coarsely granular, whitish to grey-blue or mauve, in ± linear marginal lines or in rounded, laminal, pustular soralia. Medulla white. Photobiont blue-green. Lower surface tomentose to margins, tomentum thick, felted, pale to dark chocolate-brown, pale brown and ± glabrous in a narrow zone at lobe apices. Pseudocyphellae white, scattered, rather sparse, sunk in tomentum. Apothecia not seen. Chemistry: 7β-acetoxyhopan-22-ol, hopane-7 β,22-diol (tr.), hopane-15α,22-diol, tenuiorin, methyl gyrophorate.

N: S: St: Throughout, s.l. to 800 m, mainly lowland in damp, shaded habitats of high humidity.

Cosmopolitan

P. intricata as at present circumscribed probably represents more than one taxon in New Zealand, although until further collections and additional field studies are made the various entities are combined in one aggregate species. Large-lobed, thick, coriaceous individuals with a mustard- yellow upper surface and coarse grey-blue soralia are referable to Sticta limbata var. subflavida and may well constitute a separate species. The typical form of intricata has a red-brown to pale brown upper surface often with a bluish tinge and with ± linear, marginal and scattered laminal, white soralia. In addition there is a very thin, dark red-brown species found in very damp, shaded habitats, resembling a species of Nephroma. Variation in the intricata aggregate is discussed by Coppins and James [ Lichenologist 11: 172-175 (1979)], and Galloway and James [ loc. cit., p. 300 (1980)]. Chemistry is uniform in all specimens examined.