Usnea maculata Stirt.
Thallus erect, to 6 cm tall, conspicuously blackened at base, saxicolous. Branches stiff, tapering towards apices, terete, stout at base, 0.8-1.4 mm diam., attached by a thick (1.4-2.2 mm wide) blackened holdfast, loosely subdichotomously branching, not or slightly narrowed at joints, rarely articulate-cracked, lateral fibrils or spinules very few or absent, papillae absent, soredia absent, pseudocyphellae punctiform, white or pale, numerous, becoming maculate- eroded and ± effigurate and somewhat blackened (×10 lens). Cortex glossy to roughened, glaucous green to olivaceous with red pigment deposited in patches or bands in cortex. Apothecia not seen. Chemistry: Protocetraric and usnic acids.
S: Canterbury, Cora Lynn near Cass on roadside rocks. Known at present from only one collection (P.W. James, 1962) but probably more widespread in inland, subalpine habitats. The New Zealand material, which closely resembles material (including the type) from southern and eastern Africa and eastern Australia, grows on rock with Parmelia signifera. Useful information on this species is given by Swinscow and Krog [ Norw. J. Bot. 23: 27-29 (1976)].
Palaeotropical
