Cladia retipora (Labill.) Nyl.
Baeomyces reteporus Labill., Nov. Holl. Pl.: 110 (1804).
Thallus large, robust, coralloid, in cushions 10-100 cm diam., terricolous or muscicolous. Primary thallus nodular, white, evanescent. Pseudopodetia dying at base, robust or slender, 1.5-5 mm diam., 2-5(-8) cm tall, white, pale greyish or faintly yellowish, often tinged pinkish and/or superficially blackened, pliant and spongy when wet, brittle when dry, cortex continuous, walls uniformly clathrate from base to apex, in 3-8 series forming an even network, perforations 5-11 per cm in each series. Medulla thin, white, arachnoid, loosely filling central canal, at apices of pseudopodetia visible as thin strands (×10 lens). Apothecia minute, black, peltate, crowded on apical branchlets. Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow, KC+ yellow, Pd-. Atranorin, rangiformic and usnic acids.
N: Northland to Wellington. S: Nelson to Southland. St: Ch: A: C: Ant: On peaty soils, among tussocks or low vegetation, in Leptospermum and Dracophyllum heaths, on fellfields, more rarely on rocks, logs and sand dunes, s.l. to 1200 m
Australasian
C. retipora occurs widely throughout New Zealand, being particularly common on subalpine peat bogs. The plant is of considerable beauty, closely resembling lace or coral and is occasionally used in floral decoration. Often associated with C. sullivanii, Cladina leptoclada and Stereocaulon ramulosum [Martin loc. cit. 1965; Galloway loc. cit. 1966; Galloway and Simpson N.Z. J. Bot. 16: 511, fig. 4 (1978)].
