Cladonia merochlorophaea
Description : Basal squamules persistent, to 1 mm diam., irregularly lobed, or 1–2 mm diam., 2–4 mm long, incised-crenate or laciniate-lobed. Podetia arising from surface of basal squamules, 1–3(–4) cm tall, simple or with marginal scyphi, with or without squamules, dark-green to brownish green; scyphi broad, to 5 mm diam., with areolate or verrucose cortex, with corticate granules on interior of cup, becoming ecorticate with flattened corticate granules and granular soredia on and in scyphi, or densely covered with minute squamules. Apothecia uncommon, on margins of scyphi, 0.15–1.5 mm diam., convex, stalked, brown.
Chemistry : Cortex K−, KC+ red (fading), Pd− or Pd+ red; containing merochlorophaeic acid (major) and 4- O -methylcryptochlorophaeic acid (minor), ±cryptochlorophaeic acid (tr.), ±paludosic acid (tr.), ±fumarprotocetraric acid (major) and protocetraric acid (tr.).
N: South Auckland to Wellington (Pohangina Valley). S: Nelson, Westland, Otago (Garvie Mts, Lammerlaw Ra.), Southland (Awarua Plain, The Wilderness). St: On rotting wood, sandy peat, under tussocks in grassland or in Leptospermum heath. Specimens earlier identified as C. grayi G.K. Merr. (Martin 1958; Galloway 1985a), are referable to C. merochlorophaea (Archer & Bartlett 1986). Known also from North and South America, Eurasia, and Australia (Stenroos & Ahti 1990; Ahti 2000; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).
Cosmopolitan
Illustrations : Thomson (1968: pl.13, fig. 61); Flora of Australia 54 : 215, fig. 54 (1992); Krog et al. (1994: 162); Kantvilas & Jarman (1999: 48); Goward (1999: 118, fig. 3A).
Cladonia merochlorophaea is characterised by: persistent basal squamules; podetia to 40 mm tall, with abruptly flaring cups, 3–6 mm diam.; an areolate-corticate to verrucose surface, with soredia and corticate granules (also in cup interior); and the presence of merochlorophaeic acid.
