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Xanthoria novozelandica Hillm.

Xanthoria novozelandica Hillmann. f edde, Repert. spec. nov. 45, 176 (1938).

Zahlbr., Lich. N. Z., 123 (1941).

Thallus orbicular, appressed, 5–30 (-50) mm dia., yellow or greenish-yellow or greygreen, K- or pink in places, with smooth marginally imbricate lobes 1–3 mm long, 0.5–1.2 (-2) mm wide, 50–90μ thick and minutely crenulate, white beneath, shortly rhizinose, with submarginal horizontal white fibrils projecting about 0.2 mm beyond margins (occasionally very few or none)., upper cortex 12–25μ thick, plectenchymatous with isodiametric 4–6μ dia. cells, algal layer 25–50μ thick, filling all the space between the cortices, algae Trebouxia 8–14μ dia., lower cortex 15–30μ thick, similar to upper cortex. Apothecia covering most of the plant in larger specimens, 1–1.8 (-3) mm dia., shortly pedicellate on pedicels 0.2 mm high, excipulum plane, with a few white fibrils 0.2–0.3 mm long projecting downwards; disc plane or slightly convex with thin entire and finally obsolete margin; hypothecium hyaline, obscurely cellular, 25–30μ thick; hymenium (65-) 75–80μ high including granular epithecium. paraphyses 1½μ thick, simple or furcate, asci clavate-cylindrical, 45–50 × 13–15μ, spores rather variously shaped, polaribilocular, (11-) 13 × 6½-7½μ, r = 0.2–0.4^* Pycnidia globose, 200μ dia, singly in prominent orange warts on upper surface, pycnidiospores cylindrical, not constricted, 3 × 0.8μ.

Habitat. On bark, or rarely twigs.

Distribution. New Zealand Canterbury: Hurunui (A. J. Healy, 58/499) CHR (uncertain), Waitohi R (A. J. Healy 58/520) CHR;, Cheviot (A. J. Healy) CHR;, Godley Valley (H. H. Allan, H64) CHR (Isotype), Sc 170. Otago: Lake Ohau (R. Jones) 1721, Matukituki R. (R. F. Smith) 1192;, Stewart's Gully, T 1993 (and in CHR as X. parietina f. virescens), Dunedin 1226; Flagstaff, 1,200ft, 3633; Brighton, 021b (uncertain) Southland Kaiwera, Mr; 717, Gore, Mr. 899.

The species seems to be rare, although it is evidently quite widely distributed. The material is not very uniform and further collecting may confirm the existence of subspecific taxa. A few specimens from the coastal regions have scarcely any fibrils or even none, and then only differ from small forms of X. parietina in the

thinner, narrower crenulate marginal lobes with prominent pycnidia. One specimen, A. J. Healy 58/499, has many large apothecia as well as lacking fibrils, and looks very like Xanthoria polycarpa except that the lobes are uniformly flat.

Xanthoria parietina (I) Th. Fr. var. parietina.

Lichen parietinas L., Spec. pl. 1143 (1773).

Xanthoria parietina Th. Fr., Lich. Arctoi, 67 (1860).

Müll. Arg., Bull. Herb. Boissier II, 40 (1894).

Hellb., Bihang Kgl. Svensk Vetensk. Akad. Handl., 21, (13), 51 (1896).

Cock., Trans. N. Z. Inst., 42, 320 (1909).

Cranw. & Moore, Rec. Auck. Mus., 1, 314 (1935).

Zahlbr., Lich. N. Z., 122 (1941).

Physcia parietina D. Notr.

Nyl., Synops. Lich., I, 410 (1860).

J. Linn. Soc. Bot., 9, 249 (1865).

Lich. N. Z., 45 (1888).

Linds., Trans. Linn. Soc., 25, 518 (1866).

Hook., Handb. N. Z. Fl., 573 (1867).

Physcia parietina var. platyphylla Krmph., Reise d. Novara, Bot. I, 116 (1870).

Physcia ligulata Krb., Reliq. Hochstett., 30 (186?) (sec. Nyl., Lich. N. Z., 45 (1888).

Parmelia parietina Ach.

Hook., Fl. N. Z., 287 (1855).

Kirk, Trans. N. Z. Inst., 4, 235 (1871).

Buch., Trans. N. Z. Inst., 6, 231 (1873).

Thallus 2–5 (-10) cm dia., yellow or orange-yellow or greenish yellow, more or less orbicular, lobed at circumference, lobes 3–6 mm long × 2–5 mm wide, smooth to irregularly wrinkled or weakly folded or pitted with raised, often sinuate margins, white beneath or yellowish peripherally, with a few short simple white rhizines; upper cortex 10–25μ thick, plectenchymatous of vertical hyphae forming cells about 5μ dia., algal layer 30–40μ thick, algae Trebouxia, 8–15μ dia;. medulla 10–80μ thick of moderately thick-walled 3μ dia. hyphae varying from fairly compact to loosely woven. lower cortex similar to upper cortex, 8–15μ thick. Apothecia sessile, well constricted at base, 1–5 mm dia., margin thin, persistent, often inrolled; disc concave, usually darker than thallus, smooth; hypothecium and excipulum hyaline, 20μ thick; hymenium hyaline except for the orange granular epithecium, 75–90μ high;, asci 45–55 × 15μ, spores hyaline, polaribilocular, ellipsoid, 11–14 (-16) × 6½-9μ, r = 0.4–0.6 Pycnidia immersed in orange warts, globose, pycnidiospores 2–3 × 1–1 2μ.

Habitat. On trees, rarely on rock or other substrates.

Distribution. Apparently cosmopolitan in temperate regions. North Island:

Thames, CHR; Kaitake (O. J. Oates) 021c; Feilding (H. H. Allan) CHR, (A. J. Healy 468) CHR; Bulls (B. J. Sweetman) 4413; Netherby (R. Mason and N. T. Moar) CHR; Hawke's Bay (Colenso, 6219) WELT. Canterbury: Port Hills, CHR; Temuka, Mason, 251 and 252. Otago: Saddle Hill, Mr., 485, Mr., 7349; Mosgiel, 058; Lee Stream, T 207; Hindon, T 247; Kaiwera, Mr., 1318; Pukerau, Mr., 490 (pr. p.), Mr., 5418. Southland: Forest Hill, 021e, 049.

The typical variety of the species may be introduced, since I have rarely seen it far from settlements, and it seems to favour exotic trees, usually fruit-trees. It seems to be common in parts of the North Island, although I have seen only a few North Island specimens in herbaria. Like many other wide-ranging species, X. parietina is a variable plant and more than 30 distinct varieties and forms have been described, mostly on European material. I have not been able to see all of these as descriptions or specimens, and furthermore some of the named specimens have not agreed with the descriptions; consequently the identification of the New Zealand specimens with European subspecific taxa is sometimes open to doubt. In certain cases the local material is close to but not clearly identical with the European forms although the differences are not easily expressed in quantitative, terms Although the genus has been surveyed twice by Hillman (1922, 1935) the

separation and nomenclature of these subspecific taxa still show unsatisfactory features, and for this reason I have included several distinct forms under var. ectanea without attempting to name them.

Xanthoria parietina (L) Th. Fr. var. parietina f. albicans (Müll.) Hillm.

Teloschistes parietinus f. albicans Müll. Arg., Flora 338 (1890).

Xanthoria parietina f. albicans Hillm., Ann. Mycol., 14 (1920).

Zahlbr, Lich. N. Z., 122 (1941).

As for the typical form but thallus fairly thin, flat, whitish, K-;. apothecial disc yellow.

Distribution. South America, South Africa, New Zealand and probably elsewhere. North Island: Kaipara (L. B. Moore, ZA125) CHR. Southland: Forest Hill, 046.

This form does not seem significantly different from f. cinerascens (Light) Sandst., and the two plants seen are hardly distinct from the normal form of the species or from f. chlorina.

Xanthoria parietina var. parietina f. chlorina (Chev.) Oliv.

Imbricaria chlorina Chev., Fl. Envir. Par. I, 62 (1826).

Xanthoria parietina f. chlorina Oliv., Mem Soc. nat. Sciences natur. Cherbourg, 36, 228 (1906–7).

Thallus thickish, grey-green centrally with pale yellow raised sinuate margins; apothecia concave with grey margins and yellow discs.

Habitat. On shaded tree-trunks, etc.

Distribution. Europe, and presumably elsewhere. North Island: Hawke's Bay.

(Colenso, 6219 pr. p.) WELT. Otago Mosgiel 021.

Xanthoria parietina var. parietina f. virescens (Wedd.) Sandst.

Physcia parietina f. virescens Wedd., Bull. Soc. bot. Fr., 16, 198 (1869).

Xanthoria parietina f. virescens Sandst., Abh. Naturw. Vereins Bremen, 223 (1911–2).

Thallus rather small and thin, green with yellow apothecial discs; otherwise as in the typical form. A shade form.

Distribution. Europe, but probably cosmopolitan Canterbury. Temuka, Mason, 265.

Xanthoria parietina (L) Th. Fr. var. adpressa Mereshk.

Xanthoria parietina var. adpressa Mereshk., Hedwig. 61, 209 (1919).

Lobes shorter, thinner and narrower (1–2 mm) than in the typical form of var. parietina, smooth, adpressed, margins not sinuate; medulla very thin; apothecia (½-) 1–3 (-4) mm dia., sessile, nearly plane, becoming convex with excluded margin; hypothecium 25μ, hymenium 52–60μ, spores 11–15 × 5–7μ.

Habitat. On trees, often in exposed situations.

Distribution. Asia, Europe. Canterbury: Leithfield (A. J. Healy, 58/530) CHR (pr. p.); Hurunui (A. J. Healy, 58/505) CHR; Lake Tekapo, 1,500–2,000ft, Mason, 8, 245, 246 and 247. Otago. The Kaik, Mr., 603, Saddle Hill, Mr., 488, Mr., 7349. Chatham Islands: (Colenso 9) WELT.

Some of the above specimens are not well separarted from var. parietina and may not truly belong to var. adpressa, of which I have seen no authentic specimens. They seem to differ significantly from var. parietina in the narrower spores as well as in thallus features.

Xanthoria parietina (L) Th. Fr. var. aureola Rostr.

Parmelia aureola Ach, Lich univ, 487 (1910).

Xanthoria parietina var. aureola Rostr; Bot. Tidsskr, 4, 96 (1871).

Hellb., Bihang Ggl. Svensk Vetensk. Akad. Handl., 21 (13). 51 (1896).

Müll. Arg., Bull. Herb. Boissier, II, app. 1, 40 (1894).

“Thallus stout, rigid, dark golden-yellow or orange-yellow, knotted-warty and wrinkled centrally; apothecia with crenate margin.” (Description translated from Anders “Die Strauch —und Laubflechten Mittelseuropas” p. 192 (1928)).

Habitat. Mostly on rocks.

Distribution. Eurasia, New Zealand.

I have not seen specimens which clearly belong here, although most large specimens of var. parietina are more or less wrinkled and some have a few apothecia with subscrenulate margins.

Xanthoria parietina (L) Th. Fr. var. ectanea (Ach) Grönl.

Parmelia parietinaβectanea Ach., Lich. univ. 464 (1810).

Xanthoria parietina var. ectanea Grönl., Bot. Tidsskr. 4, 161 (1871).

Nyl., Synops. Lich., 410 (1860).

Zahlbr., Lich. N. Z. 122 (1941).

Physcia parietina Oliver, Trans. N. Z. Inst., 44, 87 (1911).

Parmelia elegans Hook, Fl. N. Z., 291 (1855).

Placodium elegans Hook., Handb. N. Z. Fl., 577 (1867).

Nyl., Lich. N. Z., 58 (1888).

Caloplaca elegans Hellb, Bohang Kgl. Svensk Vetensk. Akad. Handl., 21 (13), 66 (1896).

Allan, Tuatara 1, 21 (1948) (pr. p.).

Caloplaca elegans var. tenuis Cranw. & Moore, Rec. Auck. Museum, 1, 314 (1935).

Zahlbr., Lich. N. Z. 121 (1941) (pr. p.)

Thallus yellow to orange, white or pinkish beneath, lobes more or less radiate, smooth, plane or slightly swollen or channelled, 2–10 mm long by (½-) 0. 8–1. 5 mm wide, linear, sparingly branched, separated, contiguous or imbricate, adpressed or with raised edges; upper cortex 12–25μ thick, outer part interspersed with yellow granules; algal layer 25–40μ thick, medulla usually loosely woven, 70–140μ thick; lower cortex 15–20μ thick; apothecia concolorous with the thallus, ½-1-½ (-2½) mm dia., plane to convex, margin usually persistent; hypothecium and proper margin 40μ thick, hymenium (55-) 65μ high, paraphyses 2μ thick, asci clavate to irregularly saccate, about 40 × 15μ, spores ellipsoid, (?8-) 13 (-16) × (5½-) 6–87½μ, r = about 0. 5.

Habitat. Usually on coastal rocks.

Distribution. More or less cosmopolitan.

(a) Yellow, forming a mass of imbricated and epithalline lobes 2–4 mm long × 1 mm wide, not appressed, weakly concave or channelled, medulla 70–100μ thick, spores about 14 × 7½μ.

Otago: Port Chalmers, T 703 (ZA 53 in CHR). Southland: Doubtful Sound, 3963.

(b) Forming circular patches of contiguous and/or imbricate lobes, medulla 90–120μ thick, spores about 13 × 8μ.

North Island: Hen and Chickens Ids. (L. M. Cranwell) CHR; North Wairoa River, CHR; Rangitoto (H. H. Allan) CHR; Coromandel Peninsula (L. B. Moore, ZA 126) CHR; Whangarei (W. A. Given) CHR; Hutt Valley, on bone (H. H. Allan) CHR; Wellington, Mr., 584. Marlborough: Goose Bay, Mr., 7335. Nelson: Karteriteri, Mr., 1248 (pr. p.). Otago: Cornish Head, 3883 (contorted from with large apothecia); Harbour Cone, 500ft, Mr., 5419; Waikouaiti, T 30 (on bark), T 2928; Howell's Point, T 818 (uncertain); Portobello, 3513, 3514; Blackhead, T 403; Mosgiel (on tree) 058 (pr. p.); Brighton, 021a. Southland: Riverton, T 787. Stewart Island: (Cockayne, 0836) CHR.

(c) Lobes stellate-radiate, discrete, sometimes plano-convex, appressed, spores 13 × 8μ (perhaps f. ratilans (Ach.) Zahlbr.).

North Island. Ahuriri (Colenso, 2964) WELT; (?) Hawke's Bay (Colenso, 6244) WELT. Westland Greymouth (W. A. Mackay) CHR Nelson; Kaiteriteri, Mr., 1248 (pr. p.); Maitai Valley, Mr., 7326 Otago: Akatore Estuary, 3730, 3731.

(d) Thallus 4 cm dia., orange-red, lobes stellate-radiate, 10–20 mm long × 0.5 mm wide, 0. 2–0. 5 mm apart, medulla about 100μ thick, spores 5½-6½μ wide.

North Island: Whangarei (W. A. Given) CHR (pr. p., on bark).

(e) Lobes irregularly humped 1-1½ mm wide, contiguous, medulla loose, 120–150μ thick, apothecia very convex, hymenium 55μ high, spores 8½-10½ × 6-½-8μ.

Otago: Kyeburn, 1,000ft, T 41 (and in CHR). Southland: Ben Bolt, 1,500ft, 1191.

Except in the few cases where a height or substrate is given, all the above specimens were collected from coastal rock, where the variety is common, often invading the Verrucaria zone; elsewhere it seems to be very rare. The distribution pattern is quite similar to that recorded in Britain for var. ectanea (Smith, 1922). I have put the local specimens into five groups for which names may be already available. Groups (c) and (d) look deceptively like Caloplaca elegans from which they are only distinguished by the rather flatter less regular lobes which are never partly hollow; group (c) usually occurs near high-tide mark or in exposed situations, and seems only a trivial form of the variety, but the plant in group (d) may be distinct although it does not appear to belong to any of the recorded varieties of Xanthoria parietina with such narrow lobes. The small specimens in group (e) from subalpine situations are hardly separable from the plants in group (b) superficially, but are certainly distinct in spore measurements. Although the usual specimens of var. ectanea are easily distinguished from var. parietina, intermediate specimens are not uncommon—e. g., 021a, Mr. 584, T 787 above.

Much more collecting and field studies are needed, particularly in the North Island, to decide the status of the forms grouped together under var. ectanea here.

Xanthoria parietina. (L) Th. Fr. var. incavata (Stirt.) Murray, comb. nov. Physcia incavata Stirt., Trans. N. Z. Inst., 32, 82 (1899).

Xanthoria incavata Zahlbr., Lich. N. Z., 123 (1941).

Thallus orbicular, yellow, flat, more or less continous centrally with marginal lobes 3–5 mm wide × 5–8 mm long and up to 0.2 mm thick, contiguous, broadly rounded, entire, matt to rather arachnoid or minutely pitted, without longitudinal wrinkles, appressed, white beneath; medulla arachnoid, up to 150 thick; apothecia brodly sessile, initially plane with thin margin becoming convex with excluded margin, orange, 2–3 mm dia hymenium 75μ high, spores ellipsoid to reniform 13–15 × 8μ pycnidia. immature.

Habitat. On bark.

Distribution. New Zealand. Marlborough: Molesworth (A. J. Healy) CHR; Mt. Tapuaenuku, 4,000ft, T 1526. Canterbury: Selwyn Gorge (A. K. Beckett), Canterbury Museum. (Type, or perhaps isotype specimen).

The specimens I have seen are not very uniform, and the plant is evidently not specifically distinct from X. parietina. In var. parietina specimens with lobes as wide as 5 mm are always ascending at the margin, somewhat imbricate and more or less wrinkled, with the apothecia larger and hardly convex, but the microscopic details are probably not significantly different. The type (? or isotype) specimen is only a fragment with two lobes and has been damaged. Var. incavata seems close to the South African var. macrophylla (Stizb.) Hillm. which, however, has pale apothecia with shining waxy margins.

Caloplaca elegans Th. Fr. var. elegans.

Thallus orbicular, orange-red, lobes radiate, contiguous or partly imbricate and loosely attached, about 1 mm wide, plano-convex, sparingly branched, surface often minutely pitted centrally, medulla arachnoid or or lobes partly hollow, apothecia 06–12 mm dia., broadly sessile, concolorous, margin persistent; hymenium 60μ high, spores 10½-13 × 6½-8½7mu; r=0.2–0.3.

Habitat. On rock in alpine, arctic or antarctic regions.

Distribution. Northern and alpine Europe, Himalayas, North America, New Zealand, Polar regions Canterbury: Mistake Peak (Tekapo), 6,200ft, Sc 39; Godley Valley, over 3,000ft, Sc 168 (pr. p.), Sc 217, Sc 218; Ben Ohau Range, 6,000ft, Mason, 153.