Cladonia melanopoda
Description : Primary thallus subpersistent to disappearing, of crenulate squamules, 1–3 × 0.5–2 mm, upper surface verruculose. Podetia (2–)3–4.5(–6) cm tall, 0.4–1 mm diam., grey-white at first soon becoming variegated with whitish cortical structures on strongly blackened stereome; simple to slightly branched, apices cup-forming even when young, or without cups. Cups 0.5–3(–4) mm wide, flaring abruptly, soon becoming strongly clathrate and the margins deeply divided, regularly proliferating from centre, forming (–)5–7(–11) tiers. Surface of podetia rough, corticate, pruinose, cortex soon disintegrating to form scattered, schizidioid areolae, granules and microsquamules, appearing sorediate but true soredia rarely present, at length almost totally decorticate. Apothecia infrequent on lobes of older cups, 0.2–1 mm wide, flat to convex, dark-brown. Pycnidia common on lobes of older cups, subglobose.
Chemistry : Thallus K−, C−, KC−, Pd+ red; containing fumarprotocetraric acid (major), protocetraric acid (tr.), confumarprotocetraric acid (tr.) and convirensic acid (Huovinen et al. 1990: 227 – as Cladonia sp. 1)
S: Westland (Fox Glacier), Marlborough (Wairau River), Canterbury (Mt Binser, SW slopes of Foggy Peak, Torlesse Ra., Glen Lyon Stn), Otago (Cascade Stream W Matukituki Valley, Mt Pisgah Kakanui Mts), Southland (S Mavora Lake). St: (Glory Cove, Fraser Peaks). On soil and amongst rocks in subalpine grassland or heathland 300–1300 m. Known also from Peru, Bolivia NW Argentina, all at high elevations, i.e. 1300 – 4000 m (Ahti 1997, 2000).
Austral
Illustrations : Ahti (1997: 8, fig. 1; 2000: 134, fig. 74).
Cladonia melanopoda is characterised by: the tall podetia; very narrow cups (usually 1–2 mm wide); the rough cortex and strongly melanotic medulla.
