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Lichens (1985) - Flora of New Zealand Lichens
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Collema F.H.Wigg.

COLLEMA G.H. Weber in Wiggers, 1780 nom. cons. 

Thallus small to large, usually foliose and distinctly lobate, in some species subcrustose or subfruticose, gelatinous, usually dark olive-green, homoiomerous, with no true cortex. Photobiont blue-green, Nostoc. Apothecia lecanorine. Ascospores colourless, very different in shape, 2- to many-celled. Chemistry: negative.

Key

1
Corticolous
2
Saxicolous, terricolous or muscicolous
13
2
Thallus isidiate
3
Thallus not isidiate
5
3
End lobules smaller (usually max. 0.4 cm), isidia marginal and laminal (the latter often in sometimes dark spots), globular to style-formed to squamiform, sometimes very small and soredia-like; apothecia not seen in N.Z. material
kauaiense
End lobules large and broad (0.5-3 cm)
4
4
Isidia rare, ± sparse, marginal or laminal, squamiform; apothecia ± numerous, spores muriform
subconveniens
Isidia always present, numerous, laminal, globular or style-formed; apothecia not seen in N.Z. material
subflaccidum
5
End lobules large and broad (0.5-3 cm)
6
End lobules smaller (max. 0.4 cm) or thallus indistinctly lobate
10
6
Thallus strongly pustulate or ridged; apothecia pruinose usually not corticate, spores 6-12-celled
glaucophthalmum
Thallus ± smooth
7
7
Spores muriform; apothecia normally not pruinose, usually corticate
subconveniens
Spores not muriform, generally 6-8-celled
8
8
Apothecia to 1 mm diam. (usually 0.5-0.7 mm) pruinose or not, normally not corticate
laeve
Apothecia to 1.5 mm diam., or more, corticate
9
9
Apothecia strongly pruinose
leucocarpum
Apothecia not pruinose, rare in N.Z.
japonicum
10
Thallus subcrustose, often pulvinate, strongly rugose, indistinctly or irregularly lobate, spores very long, ± vermiform, 10-12-celled
fasciculare (3 vars.*)
Thallus foliose, distinctly lobate, or crustose, smooth or somewhat uneven, spores much shorter, less than 50 µm
11
11
Spores muriform
fragrans var. contiguum
Spores not muriform
12
12
Thallus to 1.5 cm diam., foliose, spores usually 15-20 × 4.5-6.5 µm, 4-celled
subfragrans
Thallus larger, to 5 cm diam., crustose to subfoliose, spores 26-50 × 2-4.5 µm, 4-10-celled
leptaleum
13
Thallus isidiate
14
Thallus not isidiate
16
14
Lobes (especially at margins) ± swollen, isidia globular, spores 2-celled
coccophorum
Lobes not swollen, isidia ± squamiform, spores 4 or more celled
15
15
Spores muriform, usually 20-30 × 9-10.5 µm
novozelandicum
Spores usually 4-celled, 26-34 × 13-15 µm very rare in N.Z.
crispum
16
Lobes (especially at margins) ± swollen, spores 2-celled
coccophorum
Lobes not swollen, spores 6-8-celled
17
17
Lobes strongly crisped, spores 6-celled with acute and extended apices
durietzii
Lobes not or only slightly crisped, spores normally 8-celled, linear-oblong with rounded apices very rare in N.Z.
quadriloculare var. tasmaniae

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Collema fasciculare * var. fasciculare apothecia 0.8-2 rarely 6 mm diam., spores 52-95 (-106) × 4.5-5(-6.5) µm

var. microcarpum apothecia 0.2-0.3 (rarely to 1.5 mm diam.), spores 100-170 × 3.4-5 µm

var. colensoi differs from other varieties in the finely whitish-downy surface.

Collema is a widely distributed cosmopolitan genus of 77 described species monographed by Degelius [ Symb. bot. upsal. 13 (2): 1-499 (1954); Symb. bot. upsal. 20 (2): 1-215 (1974)]. Sixteen named species occur in New Zealand as well as several undescribed taxa.

Species of Collema colonise various substrates: bark, earth, rock in ± moist humid localities in some degree of shade. The genus is closely related to Leptogium and differs in the lack of a true cortex. It is placed in the family Collemataceae. The genus description, notes and key to species was provided by Prof. Gunnar Degelius (Askim, Sweden) and the descriptions are taken from his two monographs. Typification of synonyms of New Zealand taxa in Collema is given in Degelius ( loc. cit., 1974).

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