Usnea subeciliata
≡Usnea pulverulenta f. subeciliata Motyka in J. Motyka & R.E.G. Pichi-Sermoli, Webbia 8: 388 (1952).
Description : Thallus shrubby, erect, 5–7 cm tall, pale-green to green or grey-green, branching subdichotomous to irregular, pale to partly black at base. Branches terete, 0.5–1.5 mm diam., primary branches partially inflated, rarely faveolate, apices tapering, somewhat curved. Branchlets absent. Fibrils numerous, fine, occurring along length of branch. Papillae numerous, dense. Tubercles scattered. Pseudocyphellae mainly on tubercles but a few on cortex. Soralia numerous, excavate to plane or protuberant, very large and coalescing towards apices. Medulla lax to moderately dense; axis ¼–⅓ width of branch, hyaline. Apothecia not seen.
Chemistry : Thallus K+ yellow→orange; containing norstictic or salazinic acids and fatty acids.
N: South Auckland (Slipper I.). On Metrosideros excelsa bark. Known also from Australia and Tasmania, and E Africa (Swinscow & Krog 1979, 1988; Stevens 1999, 2004b).
Palaeotropical
Illustration : Stevens (1999: 105, fig. 67).
Usnea subeciliata is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the shrubby, greenish grey thallus, 5–7 cm tall; terete, tapering branches wih numerous, dense papillae; scattered tubercles often with pseudocyphellae; numerous, excavate to plane or protuberant soralia; and fatty acids and norstictic or salazinic acids (K+ yellow→red) in the medulla.
