Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. South Island, Southland, Mavora Lakes vicinity, 45º19's, 168º10'E, 620 m, 25.i.2001, S. Hammer 8263 – CHR. Isotype– FH.

Description : Primary thallus squamulose, persistent or evanescent, subentire to crenate-lobate, ascending, sometimes luxuriant, especially towards base of podetium, without soredia, margins and lower surface with granules and small cortical lobules, squamules to 5 mm long and 1–4.5 mm wide, greenish to glaucous-green above, whitish, smooth to arachnoid below, darkening to ochraceous or blackish. Podetia marginal or laminal from upper side of basal squamules, to 4 cm tall, 1–3 mm wide, whitish to glaucous-green to brownish, cylindrical, straight to sinuate, apices acicular to subulate to blunt, rarely narrowly cup-forming, cups closed, occasionally widening to 3 mm, occasionally with short to long (1–5 mm) subulate proliferations, rarely with further tiers of cups on elongate (to 2 cm) proliferations from cup margins; unbranched or rarely sparsely laterally branched; surface variable, sometimes with a thickened cortical layer at lower base (1–2 mm), or with minute to large, luxuriant, imbricating squamules especially near base, podetial squamules occasionally continuing up podetia to ⅓ from top, podetia often curved downwards with exposed upper side bearing squamules, region above base ecorticate or with scattered corticate granules, or in indistinct soralia-like aggregations, ecorticate areas whitish to brownish, sometimes exposing smooth, semi-pellucid, whitish to yellow-brown inner layer. Apothecia brown, ±flattened, sometimes clustered at apices and around deformed cup margins. Pycnidia not seen.

Chemistry : Cortex K−, Pd+ orange; containing fumarprotocetraric acid.

N: Northland (Kawerua), South Auckland (Mangaotaki Valley King Country, Tokoroa, S of Rotorua, Thunderbolt Ridge, Kaimanawa Ra.), Taranaki (Stratford Mountain House), Wellington (Whariti Ruahine Ra., Pongaroa, Kitchener Park Feilding, Wai-iti Stream, Otaki River Tararua Ra., Rimutaka Ra.). S: Nelson (Cobb Valley near Lake Sylvester, Botanical Hill, Kaiteriteri, Takaka Hill, Lake Rotoroa, Whisky Falls Lake Rotoiti, Travers Valley, Tophouse, S. of Westport), Marlborough (Mt Fishtail, Molesworth, Hapuka River, Onamalutu), Westland (Greymouth, Kelly Ra., Pegleg Creek Otira, Ngatau River), Canterbury (Lewis Pass, Arthur's Pass, Cass, Riccarton Bush Christchurch, Governor's Bush Mt Cook, Ben Ohau Ra., Kirkliston Ra.), Otago (Canyon Creek Ahuriri Valley, Mt Brewster, Wills Valley, West Matukituki, Olivine Ledge, Theatre Flats, Rockburn, Sugarloaf Saddle, Paradise, N branch Routeburn, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Hector Mts, Pisa Ra., Dunstan Mts, Mt Benger, Old Man Ra., Butcher's Dam near Alexandra, St Bathans Ra., Poolburn Reservoir, Mt Kyeburn, Rock & Pillar Ra., Mt Pisgah Kakanui Mts, Breakneck Road near Herbert, St Marys Ra., Waikouaiti, Leith Saddle, Mt Charles Otago Peninsula, Mt Cargill, Flagstaff, Saddle Hill, Akatore, Maungatua, Blue Mts), Southland (Cascade Cove Dusky Sound, Stuart Mts, Cascade Creek, Manapouri, Lake Monowai, Ben Bolt Hokonui Hills, East Dome Garvie Mts, Mt Burns, Greenhills, Seaward Bush, Awarua Bay, Waihopai Scenic Reserve, Bluff Hill). St: (between Albion Bay and Belltopper Falls, Wilson Bay, Port Pegasus). C: (Camp Cove). Ant: ("Tilted Crag"). On damp soil in alpine grassland and fellfield, peat soils, old logs, rotting stumps, sandy soil in litter under forest trees, clay banks coastal and inland, s.l. to 1500 m. Known also from eastern Australia and Tasmania (Hammer 2003b).

Australasian

Illustrations : Hammer (2003b: 416, figs 10–12).

Cladonia darwinii is characterised by: large, persistent, esorediate basal squamules; narrow, cylindrical, gently undulating and tapering podetia, to 4 cm tall, and 1–3 mm diam., with subulate apices or rarely narrowly cup-forming; a surface covering of corticate granules, squamules and corticated areas (giving a distinctly "shaggy" appearance), but without soredia; brown, somewhat flattened, terminal apothecia; and fumarprotocetraric acid as major secondary metabolite. Specimens have commonly been misidentified as C. coniocraea, C. ochrochlora or C. ramulosa, none of which have the distinctive "shaggy" appearance of C. darwinii (Hammer 2003b: 417).