Flora of New Zealand Series

C. ochrochlora Flörke, Clad. Comment.: 75 (1828) nom. cons. prop [for detailed notes on typification of this, and related species, see Ahti & De Priest (2005: 186–187)].

=Cladonia cornuta f. gracilentior Nyl., Compt. Rend. Hebd. Séances Acad. Sci. Paris, sér. D, 83: 87 (1876).

=Cladonia chordalis f. soredians Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel.: 18 (1888).

=C. coniocraea  auct. [see Ahti & De Priest (2005: 184)]. 

Cladonia cornuta f. gracilentior. Holotype: New Zealand. Campbell I., 1874, Filhol – H-NYL 39845.

Cladonia chordalis f. soredians. Holotype: New Zealand. Westland, Greymouth, 1886, R. Helms – H-NYL 38896.

Description : Flora (1985: 117). See also Archer (1992b: 131).

Chemistry : Cortex K−, C−, KC−, Pd+ red; containing fumarprotocetraric acid (major) and protocetraric acid (tr.) with or without physodalic acid (major).

N: Northland (Kawerua, Great Mercury I.), South Auckland (Shoe I.). S: Southland (Lake Monowai, Cascade Cove Dusky Sound). St: A: C: (Tucker Cove). Throughout from s.l. to 1200 m. A very common and widespread species on rotting logs in beech and in podocarp forest (often ascending trunks of old and decaying trees), in grassland, on fenceposts, on roadside banks. Known also from Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, North Central and South America, Marion I. and Australia (Goward 1999; Ahti 2000; Øvstedal & Gremmen 2001; Ahti & Hammer 2002; Aptroot 2002e; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Jahns (1980: 213, figs 501, 504); Moberg & Homåsen (1982: 140); Stenroos (1988a: 140, fig. 8C, D; 1993: 325, Fig. 8D); Krog et al. (1994: 163); Goward (1999: 120, fig. 11B); Kantvilas & Jarman (1999: 48); Dobson (2000: 130); Brodo et al. (2001: 262, pl. 250); Sérusiaux et al. (2004: 60).

Cladonia ochrochlora is distinguished from C. sarmentosa and C. ramulosa by the presence of farinose soredia. One of the most commonly collected species of the genus in New Zealand. C. ochrochlora is a variable species. Podetia usually cup-forming though cups may not form in immature specimens. Cups are corticate in the interior and often on the exterior surface as well, generally with ±angular edges. Soredia farinose to quite large and ±corticate, arising gradually or abruptly in erumpent soralia. Podetia generally not entirely terete, appearing as though grazed by invertebrates. Possibly some specimens in New Zealand may be confused with C. poeciloclada. Specimens from Hawai'i are parasitised by the lichenicolous fungus * Opegrapha cladoniicola Ertz & Diederich (Ertz & Diederich 2003), and this fungus should be looked for in New Zealand populations.