Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Psora bracteata Hoffm., Dtschl. Fl.: 169 (1796).

Description : Thallus 1–2 cm diam., verrucose to small-squamulose to coarsely granular, of dispersed to contiguous groups of convex areolae, the margins not, or only indistinctly lobed, central parts strongly verrucose and forming congested clusters, sometimes detaching as schizidia, surface golden yellow, sparingly white-pruinose at margins, paler centrally (× 10 lens). Apothecia 0.5–1(–2) mm diam., common, disc red-brown, epruinose, concave to plane, margins concolorous with thallus, occluded with age. Ascospores broadly ellipsoidal, simple, 9–13 × 4–7 μm.

Chemistry : Thallus K+ purple, UV± orange-pink, containing parietin and smaller amounts of fallacinal and fallacinol.

S: Canterbury (Nape Nape, S of Hurunui R. mouth). On limestone soil among moss on maritime, limestone rocks. Associating with Endocarpon pusillum, Placynthium nigrum, Psora decipiens and Rinodina bischoffii. First collected in New Zealand by Colin Meurk and Helmut Mayrhofer in February 1992. In the Northern Hemisphere it occurs on soft limestone and calcareous soils. It is recorded from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Svalbard, Greenland, Ukraine, the Himalaya, North America and Australia (Gilbert 1978, 1992b; Thomson 1979; Nimis 1993; Poelt & Hinteregger 1993; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Hansen 1995; Elvebakk & Hertel 1997; Kondratyuk et al. 1996b, 1998; Scholz 2000; Hafellner & Türk 2001; Llimona & Hladun 2001; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Gilbert (1978: 35, pl. 1D; 2000: pl. 12A); Jahns (1980: 241, pl. 606); Moberg & Holmåsen (1982: 189); Hansen (1995: 90); Westberg & Kärnefelt (1998: 518, fig. 3); Lumbsch et al. (2001a: 20); Brodo et al. (2001: 320, pl. 336).

Fulgenisa bracteata is characterised by: the terricolous (basicolous soils) habit; the small (1–2 cm diam.) verrucose–squamulose, coarsely granular somewhat dispersed thallus that is not noticeably lobed at the margins; a red-brown apothecial disc, with thalline margins occluded at maturity; and broadly ellipsoidal ascospores, 9–13 × 4–7 μm.