Usnea angulata
=U. torquescens Stirt., Trans. N. Z. Inst. 30: 391 (1898).
Descriptions : Flora (1985: 602–603 – as Usnea torquescens). Until very recently, apothecia were not known from New Zealand populations; however, Darrell Wright (2004) has recently discovered fertile material and gives the following anatomical details: Epithecium dusky yellow, to 10 μm thick. Hymenium hyaline, to 60 μm tall. Hypothecium yellowish, to 80 μm thick. Asci narrowly clavate, 40 × 8 μm. Ascospores ellipsoidal, 9 × 6 μm.
Chemistry : Medulla K+ yellow→orange or red; containing usnic, norstictic (major), salazinic (minor), consalazinic (tr.) and connorstictic (tr) acids.
N: Northland (Otangaroa, Omahuta, Tutukaka, Great Barrier I.), Auckland (Waitakere Ra.), South Auckland (Whitianga, Whale I., Te Aroha) to Wellington (Wellington City). On bark of mangrove and lowland forest trees, also on maritime rocks. Known also from Africa, India, North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Australia (Herrera-Campos et al. 1998; Stevens 1999, 2004b; Aptroot 2002e; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Wright 2004).
Pantropical
Illustrations : Herrera-Campos et al. (1998: 306, fig. 4E; 307, fig. 5D; 309. fig. 8 I, J)); Stevens (1999: 14, fig. 3F; 17, fig. 5B); Ohmura (2001: 7, fig. 4B); Flora of Australia56A (2004: 99, pl. 26).
Usnea angulata is characterised by: the long, pendulous thalli with characteristic, winged or ridged-alate plates; and norstictic acid (K+ yellow→red) as major secondary compound. This species had a traditional use by Maori as both nappies and sanitary pads (the late Irihapeti Ramdsen, pers. comm.). Traditional use of species of Usnea by Maori (referred to as either angiangi or kohukohu) is discussed by Riley (1994: 119–120) and Fuller et al. (2004) under the blanket name Usnea barbata (a Northern Hemisphere lichen not present in New Zealand), but it is likely that several, well-developed and plentiful species, including U. angulata, were used for medicinal purposes, utilising the antibiotic properties of usnic acid.
