Cladonia polycarpoides
Description : Basal squamules persistent, conspicuous, to 10 mm long and 3 mm wide, subdichotomous, laciniate, apices rounded, underside white, upper surface olive-green to brown, becoming erect, forming tufts and exposing white lower surface. Podetia growing from upper surface of basal squamules, 5–25 mm tall, 0.5–2.5 mm diam., subcylindrical, without scyphi, simple or sparingly branched towards apices; cortex continuous or subcontinuous, without soredia and usually without squamules, olive greenish to brown; podetial wall indistinctly fissured, verruculose. Apothecia terminal, 0.5–2.0 mm diam., convex, brown.
Chemistry : Cortex K+ red, C−, KC−, Pd+ yellow; containing norstictic, connorstictic acids and homoheveadride (Archer & Taylor 1987).
N: Northland (Three Kings Is, Karikari Peninsula, Herekino Gorge) to Auckland (Waitakere Ra.). On soil, frequently as squamules (Archer 1992). Total range: North America, Central America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Mongolia, New Caledonia, and Australia (Suominen & Ahti 1966; Stenroos 1988b; Swinscow & Krog 1988; Archer 1992b; Brodo et al. 2001).
Cosmopolitan
Illustrations : Stenroos (1988a: 120, fig. 2A, B); Krog et al. (1994: 165); Brodo et al. (2001: 266, pl. 258).
Cladonia polycarpoides is characterised by: mats of persistent basal squamules up to 10 mm long and the presence of norstictic acid (K+ red). Podetia when present are regularly fertile. C. neozelandica (q.v.) is similar but has generally much more robust and longer basal squamules. It is morphologically similar to C. tessellata. Taxonomic problems of C. polycarpoides and related taxa are discussed in Suominen & Ahti (1966: 422).
