Cladonia imbricata
Description : Basal squamules persistent, 1–4 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, incised, involute, entire or sparingly to deeply incised, occasionally with coralloid-isidioid lobules at margins, yellowish to green-grey above, glossy at first, whitish below, darkening with age, esorediate. Podetia 0.5–3.5(–5) cm tall, narrow, tubular, straight, esorediate, subulate or blunt, unbranched or very sparingly branched, rarely cup-forming, cups narrow, closed, base of podetia with persistent cortex or melanotic, podetial surface mostly ecorticate, appearing sorediate but actually comprising masses of corticate granules that develop into incised or rounded squamules, elongating to several millimetres, coralloid, imbricating, especially towards top of podetia. Apothecia brown, solitary or in small, apical clusters. Pycnidia dark-brown to black, slightly constricted at base. Conidia falciform, 1–2 × 0.2–0.3 μm.
Chemistry : Medulla K−, Pd+ red; containing fumarprotocetraric acid (major) and accessory physodalic and homosekikaic acids.
S: Nelson (Diamond Lakes), Westland (Aorangi Reserve Greymouth, Whataroa River), Canterbury (Governor's Bush Mt Cook), Otago (Kea Basin, Rees Valley, Otakau Bush, Goat I. Otago Harbour), Southland (Cascade Cove, Dusky Sound, Doubtful Sound, Manapouri, Greenhills, Awarua Bay). Subalpine in boulderfields, alpine fellfield. Known also in Australia including Tasmania (Hammer 2002: 571; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).
Australasian
Illustrations : Hammer (2002: 572, figs 32–35).
Cladonia imbricata is characterised by: tapering pale podetia, ±naked above, with patches of cortex at base and development of small microsquamules giving a somewhat fuzzy to bristly appearance to podetia (it looks like a skinny Christmas tree).
