Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. Canterbury. Dry Creek Ridge, Mt Torlesse, on Hymenanthera alpina [=Melicytus alpinus], c. 300–400 ft, Sutherland – WELT L215.

Description : Thallus crustose, white to yellow-grey, indeterminate, areolate to granular, corticate, esorediate. Apothecia sessile, constricted at base to 2.5 mm diam., thalline exciple well-developed, entire or somewhat distorted; disc bright scarlet to red-brown, epruinose. Ascospores helically arranged in ascus, asymmetric, 3–4-septate, 30–40 × 2.5–4 μm.

Chemistry : Atranorin, placodiolic acid, haematommone (Staiger & Kalb 1995).

S: Nelson (Molesworth), Canterbury (Castle Hill, Mt Peel), Otago (Little Valley, Old Man Ra., Dunstan Ra., Remarkables, Poolburn Reservoir, Manorburn Dam, Hawkdun Ra., Blue Mts). On subalpine vegetation, especially Melicytus alpinus. Rarely on rocks in streams in subalpine habitats. Parasitised by the lichenicolous fungus * Arthonia haematommatum (Kalb et al. 1995: 201–202).

Endemic

Illustrations : Martin & Child (1972: 113, pl. 25 – as Haematomma punicea; also back cover); Moore & Irwin (1978: 15, fig. 7 – as Haematomma babingtonii); Enting & Molloy (1982: 92 – as Haematomma puniceum); Rogers & Bartlett (1986: 248, fig. 1A; 253, fig. 5A); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 99, 151); Malcolm & Malcolm (2000: 75); Lumbsch et al. (2001a: 18).

Haematomma alpinum is distinguished from H. babingtonii by the epruinose discs and the presence of placidiolic acid.