Usnea rubicunda Stirt.
U. spilota Stirton, Scott. Nat. 6: 294 (1882).
U. rubescens Stirton, Scott. Nat. 7: 76 (1883).
Thallus fruticose to subpendulous, 5-10(-30) cm tall, glaucous-greenish to reddish, pale at base. Branches tapering towards apices, terete, rather stout towards base, 1-2.5 mm diam., spinules and fibrils often giving a bristling appearance to branch, papillae sparse or absent, tubercles sparse to numerous, pseudocyphellae on tubercles, punctiform on plane cortex, isidia produced on cortex and from pseudocyphellae, soralia absent, or sparsely and rarely from pseudocyphellae. Cortex glossy, glaucous-greenish to olivaceous with red pigment deposited in cortex. Apothecia not seen. Chemistry: Salazinic, norstictic and usnic acids. Type material contains stictic, constictic, norstictic (tr.) and usnic acids.
N: Northland to Wellington. S: Nelson to Southland. Widespread and common, mainly lowland and coastal on both native and introduced trees and shrubs. The reddish colour is characteristic and is more pronounced on storage. The species is discussed by James [ Lichenologist 11: 322-323 (1979)], and by Swinscow and Krog [ Lichenologist 11: 240-242 (1979)].
Cosmopolitan
