Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lichen tartareus L., Sp. pl. 2: 1141 (1753).

=Ochrolechia apiculata Verseghy, Beih. Nova Hedwigia 1: 85 (1962).

Ochrolechia apiculata. Holotype: New Zealand. Wellington, Titahi Bay at 2 m above sea level, 1935, H.H. Allan – W [Verseghy's protologue (Verseghy 1962: 85) mistakenly records the country of origin as Canada, and type locality as "Jitahi" Bay, a mistake pointed out by Brodo (1991: 766)].

Description : Thallus crustose, saxicolous, tartareous, often very thick, irregularly warted, granular (granules to 0.5 mm diam.) or uneven–corrugated, dirty grey-white, delimited by a pale marginal prothallus. Apothecia scattered, immersed and pustulate–farinose at first, becoming sessile, 1.5–2.5(–3) mm diam., margins white, 0.2 mm thick, disc shallowly concave to plane, scabrid, white-pruinose. Epithecium brownish, 30–36.5 μm thick. Hymenium colourless, 145–185 μm tall. Hypothecium yellow-brown to 75 μm thick. Asci 6–8-spored. Ascospores broadly ellipsoidal, (40–)55–65 × 25– 40 μm.

Chemistry : Thallus and medulla K−, C+ pink, KC+ red, Pd−; disc C+ red; containing gyrophoric and ±lecanoric acids.

N: Wellington (Titahi Bay). On coastal rocks. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Madeira, North America, Sri Lanka, Australia, and the South Orkney Is (Verseghy 1962; Awasthi & Tewari 1987; Awasthi 1991; Purvis et al. 1992; Nimis 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Øvstedal & Lewis Smith 2001; Coppins 2002b; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004).

Bipolar

Illustrations : Ozenda & Clauzade (1970: 253, fig. 204; 547, fig. 454); Jahns (1980: 247, pl. 627); Moberg & Holmåsen (1982: 207); Dobson (2000: 244; 2005: 286); Schmitt (2002: 98 fig. 36D).

Ochrolechia tartarea is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the thick, tartareous, granular–verrucose, saxicolous thallus; scattered apothecia with scabrid, white-pruinose discs (C+ red); and broadly ellipsoidal ascospores, (40–)55–65 × 25– 40 μm.