Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Sticta rubella Hook.f. & Taylor, Lond. J. Bot. 3: 649 (1844).

≡Crocodia rubella (Hook.f. & Taylor) Trevis., Lichenotheca veneta exs. 75 (1869).

≡Lobaria rubella (Hook.f. & Taylor) Kuntze, Revis. gen. pl. 2: 876 (1891).

Descriptions : Flora (1985: 456–457). See also Galloway (1988a: 231–233) and Galloway et al. (2001b: 71–72).

Chemistry : Pulvinic acid, pulvinic dilactone and calycin, and 20 lupane triterpenoids (Corbett et al. 1985, 1987; Galloway 1988a: 33–34; Galloway et al. 2001b: 72).

N: South Auckland (Rotorua) to Kapiti I. S: Nelson to Fiordland and eastwards from Marlborough (near Kaikoura), Banks Peninsula and near Dunedin. St: (N coast to Port Pegasus). A: C: [map in Galloway (1988a: 234, fig. 118)]. Lowland to subalpine, s.l. to 1500 m. A photophilous species commonly found on Nothofagus bark, at or near forest margins and on successional shrubs (especially Leptospermum scoparium) in moderate to high-rainfall areas, and occasionally also on rocks and old stumps and rarely on exotic trees (Populus in Hanmer Forest). Known also from New South Wales, southern Victoria and Tasmania (Kantvilas 1990c; Galloway et al. 2001b; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Australasian

Exsiccati : Vězda (1997f: No. 314).

Illustrations : Martin & Child (1972: 119, pl. 31); Galloway (1988a: 232, fig. 117); Malcolm & Malcolm (1989: 137); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 53, 107, 160, 171); Kantvilas & Jarman (1999: 8, 124, 125); Flora of Australia58A (2001: 100, pls 41, 42).

Pseudocyphellaria rubella is characterised by: linear-elongate to somewhat rounded lobes, with irregularly incised, rather ragged, tomentose margins; an undulate to irregularly reticulate-faveolate, tomentose and sorediate upper surface; a yellow medulla; a green algal photobiont; a pale yellow-buff lower surface with numerous, prominent yellow pseudocyphellae; and a complex chemistry containing pigments and 20 lupane triterpenoids. It may be parasitised by the lichenicolous fungi * Lichenoconium plectocarpoides and * Plectocarpon tibellii (q.v.).