Flora of New Zealand Series

Sticta carpoloma Delise, Mém. Soc. linn. Calvados 2: 159 (1825).

Lectotype: New Zealand. Sur les vieux arbres à la Nouvelle Zélande, 1824. Sine coll. (prob. R. P. Lesson). Herb. Delise, PC- LENORMAND!

Thallus spreading, 5-12(-20) cm diam., loosely to closely attached. Lobes laciniate-elongate from centre, 8-15 mm wide, ± dichotomously branching then 4-7 mm wide, apices blunt or pointed, often furcate, 2-3 mm wide, sometimes ± imbricate, rosette-forming, margins entire, sinuous, thickened, with conspicuous pock-like or slightly elongate yellow pseudocyphellae. Upper surface bright green or glaucous green, suffused brownish when wet, pale greyishgreen or greyish-blue tinged brownish when dry, brownish centrally and at lobe apices, ± densely reticulate-faveolate, smooth, matt or glossy. Medulla white. Photobiont green. Lower surface densely wrinkled-bullate, pale buff, glabrous at margins, densely brown to black-tomentose centrally. Pseudocyphellae yellow, scattered, ± numerous, fleck-like at margins, very small, 0.1 mm diam., slightly larger and ± verruciform centrally. Apothecia sparse to frequent, sessile to subpedicellate, 1-2 mm diam., disc black or brown-black, smooth, matt, epruinose, concave to plane or convex, margins entire, pale, ± pubescent at first, obscuring disc when young, becoming excluded with age, thalline exciple smooth, pale, ± white-pubescent. Ascospores 1-septate, brown (21-)25-28 × 7-10 µm. Chemistry: Pulvinic dilactone, pulvinic acid, calycin, tenuiorin, methyl evernate, methyl lecanorate, methyl gyrophorate, stictic, constictic and norstictic acids, hopane-7β,22-diol, 7β-acetoxyhopane-6α,22-diol, 6αacetoxyphopane-7β,22-diol and ± 6 unidentified triterpenoids. (Code D of Wilkins and James loc. cit.).

N: North Auckland to Wellington. Throughout, mainly coastal and lowland, most common on western coasts. S: Nelson to Fiordland. Mainly lowland and coastal on west coast. St: On trees and shrubs in medium to high light, rarely on rocks.

Australasian

P. carpoloma is a very characteristic, dichotomously branching species distinguished by the yellow pseudocyphellae, a character which serves to separate it from P. billardieri, P. faveolata and P. rufovirescens. Although most commonly a northern coastal forest epiphyte it is found right down the west coast of South I., and into Stewart I. A good illustration is given in Babington [ Fl. N.Z. 2: pl. CXXVI (1855)].