Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. South Island, Southland, Rainbow Reach, above Waiau River, 10 km S of Te Anau, 200 m, 45º30's, 167º40'E, 23.i.2001, S.Hammer 8227 – CHR. Isotype – FH.

Description : Primary thallus squamulose, squamules soon disappearing, greenish to olivaceous above, whitish below, to 2 mm long, irregularly crenate-lobate. Podetia arising from upper side of basal squamules, to 4 cm tall and 3–4 mm wide, yellow to greyish, sparingly branched, branches generally ascending, parallel to podetia, apices and axils closed, irregularly and sparsely, to luxuriantly squamulose, squamules arising from scattered, corticate areas of podetium, irregularly angular-lobate, to 2 mm long and 1 mm wide, adnate to imbricate, scattered to massed; surface ecorticate, scabrid, whitish to brownish, opaque to translucent and shining when wet. Apothecia brown, solitary, or aggregated. Asci and ascospores not seen. Pycnidia brown to black, subglobose to subcylindrical, occasionally on short lichenised stalks not constricted at base. Conidia falciform, 2–4 × 0.2–0.4 μm.

Chemistry : Cortex K−, C−, KC+ yellow, Pd+ reddish, UV−; containing fumarprotocetraric and usnic acids.

N: Northland. S: Nelson (Maitai Bush), Otago (Poolburn Reservoir, Old Man Ra.), Southland (Mavora Lakes, Awarua Bog). On bare soil and among mosses, partially exposed, frequently moistened habitats.

Endemic

Illustration : Hammer (2003b: 424, fig. 30).

Cladonia nitidella is characterised by: the scabrid, roughly and abundantly squamulose podetia that are shining when moist; and fumarprotocetraric and usnic acids as main secondary compounds. It is similar to C. subdigitata Vain., but distinguished by the brown apothecia and the K− reaction.