Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. South Island, Nelson, Lake Rotoroa, white pine swamp, 41º51's, 172º38'E, xi.1977, D.J. Galloway s.n. – CHR.

Description : Primary thallus squamulose, persistent or disappearing, to 12 mm long, less than 1 mm wide, twisted, ascending or growing laterally along substratum, esorediate, subentire to deeply laciniate-lobulate, to minutely marginally lobulate, often much branched, appearing lacy, tips rounded to subisidiate, olivaceous to glaucous-green above, subnitid, smooth, whitish below becoming ochraceous centrally. Podetia arising from upper side of basal squamules, to 5 cm tall, generally shorter, tubular, straight or sinuate, sometimes strongly curved at apices, subulate or blunt-tipped, unbranched to sparingly branched in upper parts, axils closed or infrequently open, openings punctate to elongate, elongate openings lateral on podetial surface; surface of podetia ecorticate or corticate, warty or bullate, somertimes with corticate granules close to apices, exposed inner layer whitish to yellowish, opaque and subarachnoid to translucent and smooth, surface sparsely to abundantly, persistently squamulose, squamules massed or isolated on surface, separate from cortical regions, persistent, elongating and widening, with accessory lobules or isidioid growths, perpendicular to podetial axis, or imbricating. Apothecia brown, convex with distinct proper margin, solitary or clustered, 1–2 mm diam. Asci and ascospores not seen. Pycnidia apical, brown to black, tapered, ostiole irregular, interior gel hyaline. Conidia falciform 2–4 × 0.2–0.4 μm.

Chemistry : Cortex K−, C−, KC−, Pd−, UV+ blue-white; containing squamatic acid.

N: Northland (Bay of Is, Puketi Forest, Great Mercury I.) to Auckland. S: Nelson (Lake Rotoroa), Westland (Greymouth), Marlborough (Wairau Valley), Canterbury to Otago (Lamb Hill, Flagstaff, Otakou Bush), Southland (Cascade Creek). On soil, mosses, logs, twigs and litter. Recorded earlier as C. squamosa (Martin 1958; Galloway 1985a: 121), a species now known not to occur in New Zealand.

Endemic

Illustrations : Hammer (2003b: 421, figs 21–24).

Cladonia gallowayi is characterised by: the relatively long, incised basal squamules; rather sparse, recumbent, podetial squamules, infrequent punctate openings in axils; and squamatic acid as the dominant secondary compound. It is similar to the North America endemic C. singularis S.Hammer (Hammer 1993b).