Cladonia macilenta Hoffm.
Primary squamules persistent, small to medium, to 4 × 3 mm, ± erect, lobate or crenate-lobate, flat or involute, upper surface glaucescent to whitish or olivaceous-glaucescent, lower surface white, darker at base, rarely yellow-brown, granular-sorediate at margins and on lower surface, or esorediate. Podetia very variable in size and shape, growing from upper surface of primary squamules, short or elongate, 5-50 mm tall, to 3 mm diam., without cups or rarely with cups, cups very variable, margins often divided into elongate proliferations which may also be scyphiferous, simple or sparingly branched, tips blunt or pointed, often sterile. Cortex areolate or verruculose, greyish-green, with pale greenish or whitish granular to farinose soredia over whole podetium or in ± central patches. Apothecia on tips of podetia, sessile, red, to 2 mm diam. Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow, KC+ orange-yellow, Pd+ yellow-red. Thamnolic, decarboxythamnolic, ± barbatic, ± 4-O-demethylbarbatic, ± didymic acids.
N: Three Kings Is, North Auckland, Hawke's Bay, Wellington. S: Nelson, Westland, coastal eastern Otago and Southland. In lowland peat bogs, on decaying logs in open grassland, Nothofagus forest and Leptospermum shrubland, mainly lowland and coastal.
Cosmopolitan
C. macilenta is a highly polymorphic species but is separated from other red-fruited Cladonias (C. bacillaris, C. bellidiflora, C. coccifera, C. subulata, C. sulphurina), by the presence of thamnolic acid.
