Click for help
Lichens (1985) - Flora of New Zealand Lichens
Copy a link to this page Cite this record

Xanthoria (Fr.) Th.Fr.

XANTHORIA (Fr.) Th. Fr., 1860  nom. cons. 

Thallus foliose, lobate, dorsiventral, heteromerous, orbicular, ± rosette-forming to spreading, loosely to closely attached. Upper surface corticate, bright yellowish-orange or orange-red (K+ purple - parietin), smooth or wrinkled, matt or shining. Photobiont green, Trebouxia. Medulla white. Lower surface corticate, white to pale brownish, sparingly rhizinate. Rhizines simple, pale. Apothecia lecanorine, sessile to subpedicellate, disc plane or concave, yellow, orange or orange-red, epruinose. Ascospores 8 per ascus, colourless, polarilocular. Pycnidia laminal, immersed in ± prominent warts.

Key

1
Lobes convex, mainly saxicolous
2
Lobes flat, ± plane, mainly corticolous
3
2
On coastal rocks, deep yellow to orange
ligulata
On subalpine-alpine rocks, orange-red
elegans
3
Thallus to 10 mm diam., lobes 0.5 mm wide, with some horizontal, submarginal white rhizines
novozelandica
Thallus 10-50(-100) mm diam., lobes 2-5 mm wide, without horizontal rhizines
parietina

Xanthoria, included in the family Teloschistaceae, contains c. 15 species, some of wide distribution. Four are known in New Zealand†, ranging from s.l. to 1700 m, and colonising bark, rocks, glass, tile and slate. Australasian taxa are discussed by Murray [ T.R.S.N.Z. 88: 198-202 (1960)] and Filson [ Muelleria 2: 83-86 (1969)].

--------------------

† Xanthoria candelaria (L.) Th. Fr., is also known from New Zealand. Collected from Hihitahi State Forest (on Dacrydium cupressinum) by J.K. Bartlett.

Click to go back to the top of the page
Top