Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Sphaerophorus insignis Laurer, Linnaea 2: 45 (1827). [For additional synonymy see Wedin (1995: 54–55)].

Description : Flora (1985: 531–532 – as Sphaerophorus insignis). See also Tibell (1987: 224–228), Wedin (1995b: 54–59).

Chemistry : Medulla K−, Pd+ red; containing sphaerophorin, protocetraric acid, ascomatic acid, methyl ascomatate and small amounts of unidentified compounds (Wedin 1995b: 55).

N: Northland (Warawara State Forest) to Wellington: S: Nelson to Southland. St: A: C: Widely distributed as an epiphyte of trunks of trees and shrubs in humid, lowland habitats, coastal and inland. Known also from E Australia, Tasmania, Chile and Argentina (Wedin 2001a: 7; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Austral

Exsiccati : Tibell (1982: No. 70 – as Sphaerophorus insignis).

Illustrations : Tibell (1984b: 613, fig. 6F; 620, fig. 10C; 627, fig. 14B; 1987: 225, fig. 168 A–D – as Sphaerophorus insignis); Wedin (1995b: 17, fig. 1c; 56, fig. 22A–C); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 96); Kantvilas & Jarman (1999: 38); Flora of Australia 58A (2001: xi, pl. 3).

Bunodophoron insigne is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the dark-green, horizontal, ±imbricate branches, broad apothecia with isidia-like protuberances along the margins and with its surface consistently veiled by the enclosing receptacle at maturity, the mazedium exposed by an irregular tear. Its spores are 10–14.5 μm in diam., and it consistently contains sphaerophorin. B. insigne is one of the most variable species in the genus, and in New Zealand especially the variation is not well understood and is in need of further study. It is related to B. flaccidum, B. murrayi, B. palmatum, B. patagonicum and B. tibellii [see Wedin (1995b: 57–58) for details of segregation of these taxa].