Flora of New Zealand Series

Description : Flora (1985: 392).

Chemistry : Upper cortex K+ yellow; medulla K−; containing atranorin.

N: Northland (Whangarei) to Wellington. S: Nelson to Southland. Ch: (Big Bush). Very widely distributed on both native and introduced trees and shrubs, but especially common on fruit trees and ornamental trees in gardens and along roadsides, and on both basic (limestone) and acidic (basalt, greywacke, schist) rocks, on concrete asbestos sheeting, shadecloth, bitumen of footpaths and little-used roads, gravestones (often very well developed on both horizontal and vertical surfaces, and on surrounding concrete coping), iron railings, and sawn, treated wood (fenceposts, railings, gates etc.) and on old painted surfaces. One of the most catholic and widespread of lichens in New Zealand, and one able to withstand moderate to heavy amounts of atmospheric pollution (Johnson et al. 1998). It is one of the most widespread of lichens and known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, the Arctic, Israel, Turkey, the Ukraine, Asia, North, East and South Africa, North and South America, Hawai'i, and Australia (Thomson 1963; Moberg 1977, 1986b, 1990, 1997, 2001, 2002b, 2002g, 2004b; Swinscow & Krog 1988; Purvis et al. 1992; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Hansen 1995; Egea 1996, Seaward 1996; John 1996; Galun & Mukhtar 1996; Kondratyuk et al. 1996a; Elix & McCarthy 1998; Galloway & Quilhot 1999; Scholz 2000; Diederich & Sérusiaux 2000; Calvelo & Liberatore 2001; Hafellner & Türk 2001; Llimona & Hladun 2001; Coppins 2002b; Elvebakk & Moberg 2002; McCarthy 2003; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Moberg (1977: 50, fig.23); Jahns (1980: 243, pl.613); Moberg & Holmåsen (1982: 199); Thomson (1984: 352); Phillips (1987: 174); Wirth (1987: 373; 1995b: 727); Dobson (1992: 263; 2000: 302; 2005: 338); Goward et al. (1994b: 110, fig. 4A); Johnson et al. (1995: 339); Hansen (1995: 53); McCune & Geiser (1997: 227); St. Clair (1999: 144); Brodo et al. (2001: 550, pl. 658); Nordic Lichen Flora2 (2002: 97); Sérusiaux et al. (2004: 136).

Physcia adscendens is characterised by: the corticolous/lignicolous/saxicolous habit; the long, white cilia on the lobe margins; and by the terminal, inflated lobe apices with helmet-shaped soralia. Nomenclatural problems regarding the known ciliate species of Physcia (including P. adscendens) are discussed in Laundon (1995b: 246–247).