Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Cenomyce chlorophaea Flörke ex Sommerf., Suppl. fl. Lappon.: 130 (1826).

Description : Flora (1985: 109). See also Archer (1992b: 119).

Chemistry : Cortex K+ or rarely K+ weak yellow, C−, KC−, Pd+ red; containing fumarprotocetraric acid (major), protocetraric acid (tr.), rarely with atranorin (major).

N: South Auckland (Atiamuri) S: Otago (N branch Routeburn, Wanaka), Southland (Pukerau, Greenhills, Awarua Bay). St: C: (Mt Beeman). Throughout, s.l. to 1500 m. Very widespread and common; on clay banks, damp roadside banks, sandy turf, soil in grassland, below Leptospermum scrub, moss in subalpine heaths, among tussock bases, on rotting logs, and shaded rocks among tussocks. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, North, Central and South America, Africa, Marion I, Oceania, Australia, Tasmania, Falkland Is, the South Shetland Is, and Antarctica (Purvis et al. 1992; Santesson 1993; Goward 1999; Sancho et al. 1999; Ahti 2000; Convey et al. 2000; Øvstedal & Gremmen 2001; Øvstedal & Lewis Smith 2001; Ahti & Hammer 2002; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Søchting et al. 2004).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Galløe (1954: 63, pls 152–156); Jahns (1970: 127, fig. 24; 133, figs 42, 43, 46; 161, fig. 96; 1980: 211, fig. 499); Martin & Child (1972: 112, pl. 24); Brodo (1981: 100, fig. 58); Thomson (1984: 119); Stenroos (1988a: 142, fig. 9C, D; 1993: 325, fig. 8J); Krog et al. (1994: 151); Hansen (1995: 27); Johnson et al. (1995: 356); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 173); Goward (1999: 119, fig. 8B); St. Clair (1999: 58); Ahti (2000: 101, fig. 51); Gilbert (2000: 120, fig. 7.2); Malcolm & Malcolm (2000: 89; 2001: 69); Dobson (2000: 125; 2005: 135); Purvis (2000: 41); Brodo et al. (2001: 248, pl. 223).

Cladonia chlorophaea is morphologically similar to C. pyxidata and to C. fimbriata. However, C. pyxidata has gradually tapered cups almost to the base, with distinctly coarser, corticate granules, present even in young material; and C. fimbriata has more abruptly tapering, goblet-shaped cups and is entirely farinose-sorediate. It is distinguished from C. cryptochlorophaea and C. merochlorophaea by the KC− reaction. The C. chlorophaea group is discussed by Ahti (1966), Nourish & Oliver (1976) and Archer (1983).