Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lichen carpineus L., Sp. Pl. 2: 1141 (1753).

Description : Thallus white or grey-white, continuous, smooth, somewhat cracked with age centrally, delimited by a marginal white prothallus. Apothecia 0.5–1(–1.5) mm diam., sessile, constricted at base, crowded centrally; thalline exciple prominent, persistent, entire, occasionally excluded with age; discs pale reddish brown to creamish or purplish, plane to convex, densely grey-white-pruinose. Epithecium granular, pale yellow-brown, the granules dissolving in K. Hymenium colourless, 45–65 μm tall. Hypothecium colourless. Asci clavate, 55–70 × 14–18 μm. Ascospores subglobose to ellipsoidal, (9–)10–12(–14) × (5–)6–8 μm.

Chemistry : Thallus K+ yellow, C−, Pd−; apothecial disc C+ yellow to orange; containing atranorin and the chromone sordidone (C+ yellow) as major compounds; chloroatranorin and eugenitol as minor compounds (Lumbsch et al. 1997b).

N: S: Throughout and extremely common and widespread on twigs and branches of lowland, mainly deciduous, introduced trees in parks, gardens and orchards, riverbanks; often the dominant crustose lichen on alders, willows, poplars, and fruit trees and probably the most common corticolous species of Lecanora in New Zealand. It appears to be able to withstand moderate to heavy pollution loads in urban habitats (Galloway et al. 2001a: 30). It is a very common pioneer lichen on the smooth bark of deciduous trees and shrubs and one of the earliest colonisers of young twigs (Nimis 1993: 346). Known also from Great Britain, Scandinavia, Europe, Asia, North America and Australia (Imshaug & Brodo 1966; Purvis et al. 1992; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Ibáñez & Burgaz 1998; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Ryan et al. 2004b: 206; Santesson et al. 2004).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Ozenda & Clauzade (1970: 565, fig. 467); Wirth (1987: 229; 1995b: 463); Foucard (1990: fig. 127); Jørgensen et al. (1994a: 288, fig. 13); Lumbsch et al. (1997b: 134, fig. 1A–E; 150, fig. 8A,B); Dobson (2000: 189; 2005: 217); Grube et al. (2004a: 512, fig. 6).

Lecanora carpinea is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the grey-white thallus, the crowded apothecia with grey-white-pruinose discs that react yellow-orange with C. It is distinguished from L. caesiorubella by the smaller, more crowded apothecia with thinner apothecial margins, and the C+ yellow reaction of the apothecial discs. L. carpinea is parasitised by several lichenicolous fungi including * Arthonia galactinaria Leight., * Chaenothecopsis hospitans (Th.Fr.) Tibell, * Lichenoconium lecanorae (Jaap) D.Hawksw., * Lichenodiplis lecanorae (Vouaux) Dyko & D.Hawksw., * Sphaerellothecium propinquellum (Nyl.) Cl.Roux & Triebel, * Unguiculariopsis thallophila (P.Karst.) W.Y.Zhuang (Hafellner 2000; Hafellner & Obermayer 2001) and these should be searched for in New Zealand populations.