Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Sphaerophorus melanocarpus var. australis f. palmatus Js.Murray, Trans. Roy. Soc. N. Z. 88: 190 (1960).

Holotype: New Zealand. Southland, Doubtful Sound, J.S. Thomson & G. Simpson 4/1957 – CHR.

Description : Thallus large, forming tufts or relatively small patches of ±crowded, imbricate. horizontal or weakly decumbent branches. Fertile branches broadly flattened, (25–)30–55(–64) mm long and 3.5–6.5(–8) mm wide, sparingly branched; secondary branches broad and rather short. Upper surface pale brownish green to greyish green, somewhat wrinkled to strongly wrinkled-scrobiculate at base of apothecia. Lower surface white, sparsely and irregularly wrinkled to strongly wrinkled near apothecia. Apothecia common, terminal, rarely laminal through extended growth of fertile branch, large and conspicuous (2.2–)3.5–6(–8) mm wide. Mazedium large, conspicuous, covered by a thin veil when young, early exposed through a ±circular hole in receptacle, or through a crack developing into a ±rounded opening. Ascospores 10–13.5(–15.5) μm diam., reddish brown. Pycnidia frequent in apices and along lower side of terminal branches. Conidia oblong, 3–4(–4.5) × 1.5 μm.

Chemistry : Medulla K−, Pd+ red; containing protocetraric acid (major), ascomatic acid (major in apothecia), and methyl ascomatate (minor in apothecia). B. palmatum is one of the few taxa with protocetraric acid and lacking sphaerophorin (Wedin 1995b).

N: Gisborne (Urewera National Park) to Wellington (Tararua Ra.). S: Nelson to Southland (Lake Hauroko and Rowallan Burn).

Endemic

Illustrations : Murray (1960a: pl. 12, fig. 6); Wedin (1995b: 73, fig. 34).

Bunodophoron palmatum is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the broadly flattened branches with large, prominent apothecia. The mazedia are exposed through a ±circular hole in the crater-like receptacle. B. palmatum is very similar in appearance to B. tibellii and cannot with certainty be separated in the field, but is easily recognised by the smaller spores and the chemistry (B. palmatum lacks sphaerophorin).