Flora of New Zealand Series

Lectotype: New Zealand. Wellington, J. Buchanan s.n. – BM [fide Galloway (1985a: 601)]. Isolectotypes – GLAM, WELT.

Description : Flora (1985: 600–601).

Chemistry : Medulla K+ yellow→red; containing salazinic and usnic acids.

N: Northland (Houhora Heads, Great Barrier I.). S: Marlborough (d'Urville I.), Otago (Waitati). St:. On Metrosideros excelsa and on shrubs. Known also from Australia (Stevens 1999, 2004b; Kantvilas & Jarman 1999; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Australasian

Illustrations : Stevens (1999: 74, fig. 44); Kantvilas & Jarman (1999: 152).

Usnea oncodes is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the pendulous to subpendulous thallus, glaucous-olivaceous suffused reddish; the distinctly articulate-constricted primary branches, inflated to 2 mm diam.; scattered, plane to excavate pseudocyphellae; sparse to dense papillae; efflorescent, convex and often confluent soralia completely investing branches and most common at apices, producing yellow-white, farinose soredia; and salazinic acid (K+ yellow→red) in the medulla.