Flora of New Zealand Series

U. subcapillaris (D.J.Galloway) F.J.Walker, Bull. Br. Mus. ( Nat. Hist. ) Bot. 13 (1): 104 (1985).

≡Usnea ciliata var. subcapillaris D.J.Galloway, N. Z. J. Bot. 6: 470 (1968).

≡Neuropogon subcapillaris (D.J.Galloway) D.J.Galloway, N. Z. J. Bot. 21: 195 (1983).

Holotype: New Zealand. Otago, The Remarkables, below Lake Alta on rocks, 2000 m, ii.1968, D.J. Galloway s.n. – CHR 343756. Isotypes – BM, CHR.

Description : Flora (1985: 318).

Chemistry : Three chemodemes recorded: (1) containing norstictic, salazinic, ±protocetraric acid and usnic acid; (2) squamatic acid ±hypothamnolic acid and usnic acid; (3) psoromic, ±2'- O -demethylpsoromic acid and usnic acid. Chemodeme 1 predominates, with the other two chemodemes being much more rarely encountered. There does not appear to be any correlation between chemodemes and morphological variation.

N: Wellington (Ruahine Ra.) S: Nelson (Cobb Valley, Crimea Ra., Mt Robert, St Arnaud Ra.), Marlborough (Mt Stokes, Black Birch Ra., Mt Mitre), Canterbury (Mt Technical, Mt Bealey Arthur's Pass, Torlesse Ra., Godley Valley, Two Thumbs Ra., Mt Peel, Four Peaks Ra., Kirkliston Ra.,), Otago (Mt Brewster, Young Ra., Pope's Nose, Humboldt Mts, Bedford Valley, Leary Peak, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Pisa Ra., Old Man Ra., Poolburn Reservoir, Rock & Pillar Ra.). On rock outcrops, 1500–2830 m, mainly found close to or E of theMain Divide and especially on the foothill ranges of Canterbury and Central Otago. Known also from Tasmania (Walker 1985; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Stevens 2004a).

Australasian

Illustrations : Galloway (1968: 471, fig. 2 – as Usnea ciliata var. subcapillaris); Walker (1985: 105, fig. 32); Stevens (1999: 121, fig. 78 – as Neuropogon subcapillaris); Flora of Australia 56A (2004: 99, pl. 25 – as N. subcapillaris).

Usnea subcapillaris is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the subdecumbent to pendulous and richly branched thallus with numerous, extended, fragile, divergent, flexuous-capillary secondary branches; a waxy, pigmented-annulate surface; a sublax medulla; very occasional apothecia of "ciliata"-type; and a chemistry containing depsides or depsidones.