Pannaria pallida
Synonyms
Psoroma pallidum
Family
Pannariaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO?
Brief description
Characterised by the corticolous habit; a conspicuous foliose–lobate thallus without a prothallus; discrete, radiating, subdichotomously to irregularly branched, laciniate lobes, 2–5 mm wide and 5–25 mm long, with irregularly notched to knobbly margins; a distinctly roughened–irregular, fibrous upper surface, that is pruinose or tomentose in places; simple globose to glomerulate cephalodia developed at lobe margins or on the lower surface; numerous, clustered apothecia, 0.5–4 mm diam., with red-brown, densely blue-white-pruinose discs that are never gyrose-etched; globose ascospores, 11–15 μm diam., with a 2-μm-thick perispore; and a chemistry containing pannarin. It has a green alga as major photobiont.
There are differences between New Zealand and southern South American material, which may yet lead to the New Zealand taxon being given independent status. However, until further comparisons are made, the New Zealand material is designated Pannaria aff. pallida.
Distribution
South Island: Nelson (Mt Arthur, Lake Rotoiti), Canterbury (Arthur’s Pass, Cass, Craigieburn Range, Governor’s Bush), Otago.
Known also from Argentina and Chile.
Habitat
On bark and twigs of manuka (Leptospermum scoparium agg.), Fuscospora and Phyllocladus in moderate shade at forest margins.
Detailed description
Thallus foliose-lobate, closely attached centrally, free at margins, without a prothallus, 6-10(-20) cm diam. Lobes laciniate, radiating, discrete not imbricate, subdichotomously to irregularly branched, 2-5 mm wide, 6-25 mm long, margins minutely notched, irregular, knobbly in parts or in parts entire and sinuous, conspicuously downrolled and thickened. Upper surface distinctly roughened-irregular, uneven, cortex fibrous, subplicate in parts, lumpy, pruinose in places or minutely white-tomentose, hairs silky, short, bright green when wet, pale greenish-grey or yellowish-green-glaucous when dry. Lower surface white at margins, uniformly thick, buff, tomentose centrally, tomentum striate, of hyphae arranged parallel to the length of the lobes, ± thickly rhizinate centrally. Rhizines short, to 2 mm, simple to squarrose, brown or buff. Cephalodia absent from upper surface or rarely developed marginally in older parts of thallus, ± common on lower surface among rhizines and on tomentum, simple, globose, buff or brown, becoming glomerulate-wrinkled. Apothecia numerous, clustered, central, rarely marginal, sessile to subpedicellate, 0.5-4.0 mm diam., disc red-brown, smooth, never gyroseetched or fissured, densely bluish-white-pruinose at first, glabrous at maturity, plane or concave, margins concolorous with thallus, waxy, ± shining, or dull, crenulate-sulcate, ± obscuring disc at first, thalline exciple verrucose-areolate. Ascospores globose, 11-15 µm diam., epispore 2 µm thick.
Chemistry: Pd+ orange; containing vicanicin, pannarin, dechloropannarin and leprolomin.
Substrate
Corticolous
Etymology
pallida: From the Latin pallidus ‘pale or pallid’
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (5 July 2021). Information in the Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985; 2007).
References and further reading
Galloway D.J. 1985: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens. Wellington: PD Hasselberg, Government Printer. 662 pp.
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.