Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Cenomyce floerkeana Fr., Lich. Suec. Exsicc.: 82 (1824).

Description : Flora (1985: 113). See also Archer (1988: 207; 1992b: 124).

Chemistry : Cortex K−, KC−, Pd+ yellow or Pd−; containing barbatic acid (major), 4- O demethylbarbatic acid (tr.), didymic acid (major) and condidymic acid (tr.), ±thamnolic acid (major).

N: Three Kings Is, Northland (Pandora, Bay of Is, Great Mercury I.), South Auckland (Hauraki Plains), Wellington (Ohakune, Pongaroa, Otaki Valley Tararua Ra., Wainuiomata). S: Nelson (Arthur Ra., St Arnaud Ra.), Westland (Greymouth, Franz Josef), Canterbury (Sebastopol Mt Cook), Otago (Forgotten River), Southland (Kuriwao, Seaward Bush, Awarua Bay, Cascade Creek). Ch: (Chudleigh Reserve). On decaying wood, fenceposts, peaty soils, in subalpine grassland and in Leptospermum heaths. Known also from Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, Africa, North & South America, Australia, and the Pacific (Stenroos & Ahti 1994; Ahti 2000; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Galløe (1954: 28, pls 33–39); Jahns (1970: 162, fig. 97); Martin & Child (1972: 111, pl. 23); Stenroos (1986: 243, fig. 2C, D); Phillips (1987: 183); Malcolm & Malcolm (1989: 121); Krog et al. (1994: 156); Hansen (1995: 29); Wirth (1995b: 305B, 331); Heibel et al. (1999: 225 – as C. macilenta ssp. floerkeana); Dobson (2000: 121; 2005: 130); Gilbert (2000: pl. 8B); Hammer (2000: 41, figs 27–32); Purvis (2000: 41); Brodo et al. (2001: 255, pl. 235); Sérusiaux et al. (2004: 56).

Cladonia floerkeana is distinguished from C. macilenta by the predominantly corticate podetia and the absence of farinose soredia. Some authors (Wirth 1987; Santesson 1993) recognise the taxon as a subpsecies of C. macilenta. It is distinguished from C. bacillaris (which has the same chemistry), by the presence of deformed cups from which proliferations may arise. C. baillaris lacks cortex except at the base.