Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Thelephora sericea Sw., Fl. Ind. occident. 3: 1928 (1809).

Description : Flora (1985: 158).

Chemistry : TLC−, all reactions negative.

N: Northland (Radar Bush, Te Paki Trig Bush, Tutamoe, Dargaville), Auckland (Waitakere Ra., Rangitoto I.), South Auckland (Mangaotaki River). S: Nelson (Puponga, near Denniston), Westland (Paringa River), Otago (Whisky Gully, Blue Mountains). Generally abundant when it occurs, on the damp bark and among mosses on Carpodetus serratus and Leptospermum scoparium in humid bush, also overgrowing mosses on the forest floor and on totara bark in dense, humid northern forest; and overgrowing mosses within waterfall spray at the head of Whisky Gully in dense, shaded Nothofagus menziesii forest. It should be looked for more widely. Known also from Asia, East Africa, the Pacific, Australia, Florida, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Guadaloupe, Dominica, Central and South America (Yoshimura 1974; Parmasto 1978; Swinscow & Krog 1988: Aptroot 2002e; Wolseley et al. 2002; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Chaves et al. 2004)

Pantropical

Illustrations : Parmasto (1978: 139, figs 5–8; 142, fig. 23; 143, fig. 25); Yoshimura (1974: pl. 47, fig. 518); Swinscow & Krog (1988: 77, fig. 34); Chaves et al. (2004: 246, fig. 2A–D).

Dictyonema sericeum is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the spreading, soft, membranous–spongy (when moist), semicircular, or reniform thallus to 25 cm diam.; the zonate or azonate, greenish to blue-green, fibrillose upper surface; and the occurrence of whitish or creamish hymenia (containing basidia) in small spots or patches among the greenish filaments.