Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lichen laevigatus Sm. in J.E. Smith & J. Sowerby, Engl. Bot. 26: Tab. 1852 (1808).

Description : Flora (1985: 199). See also Elix (1994h: 55).

Chemistry : Cortex K+ yellow, UV−; medulla K−, C+ orange, KC+ orange, Pd−, UV−; containing atranorin, chloroatranorin, barbatic acid (major), 4- O- demethylbarbatic acid, obtusatic acid (tr.) and norobtusatic acid (tr.).

S: Nelson (Lake Rotoiti, Travers Valley), Canterbury (Rangitata Gorge), Otago (Cameron Flat Makarora, Dunedin, Saddle Hill, Abbott's Hill). On bark of Hoheria angustifolia, mountain beech, dead stumps and mossy logs. Still rather poorly collected in New Zealand. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Africa, North and South America, the Pacific tropics and Australia (Purvis et al. 1992; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Becker 2002; Kantvilas et al. 2002; Nash et al. 2002b; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Hale (1975: 43, fig. 12f); Jahns (1980: 189, fig. 420); Dobson (1992: 226; 2000: 267 – as Parmelia laevigata; 2005: 194).

Hypotrachyna laevigata is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the maculate upper surface, the capitate soralia, and barbatic acid in the medulla.