Flora of New Zealand Series

U. ciliifera Mot., Lich. Gen. Usnea Stud. Monogr. 2: 543 (1937).

Lectotype: New Zealand. Wellington, Tararua Range. J. Buchanan, BM!

U. ciliifera. Holotype: New Zealand. Canterbury. "Am Rangitata flusse bei der Leiche", Dr A. Sinclair, comm. J. Haast, W!

Thallus fruticose, erect or pendulous, 4-6(-10) cm long, pale yellow, yellowish-white or greenish-yellow, non-pigmented, not blackened at base, corticolous. Branches terete, 1-2.5 mm diam., tapering towards apices, branching sympodial, rather open, lateral fibrils at right angles to main branches, rather sparse, primary and secondary branches papillate, ± articulate-cracked both at branch points and between branches, without isidia, pseudocyphellae or soredia. Apothecia common, subterminal, to 5 mm diam., disc concave at first then plane, distinctly marginate, pinkish or yellowish with a fine, white pruina, margins with radiating, long, straight or flexuous, robust, ray-like branchlets, exciple smooth. Ascospores 10 × 6 µm. Chemistry: Fumarprotocetraric and usnic acids.

N: Taranaki (Mt Egmont), Wellington (Kaimanawa, Ruahine and Tararua Ras). S: Nelson to Southland (Longwood Ra.). A canopy species, especially well-developed in Nothofagus forests east of the Main Divide in South I., and often visually arresting at tree line. Like U. capillacea (the two species are often sympatric) it is a mist species. It is frequently fertile and is the most consistently fruiting endemic species of Usnea.

Endemic

U. xanthophana is distinguished from U. molliuscula by the more richly divided and entangled branches, the thicker cortex, fewer lateral fibrils and by fumarprotocetraric acid in the medulla.