Australian Biological Resources Study
| Checklist of the Lichens of Australia and its Island Territories | ||
| Introduction | A–D | E–O | P–R | S–Z | Oceanic Islands | References | ||
| Usnea nidifica Taylor | ||
| London J. Bot. 6: 191 (1847). T: Norfolk Is., C.Babington & Thomas; syn: BM, FH. ****Usnea chaetophora subsp. propinqua Stirt., Scott. Naturalist (Perth)7: 76 (1883); U. propinqua (Stirt.) Zahlbr., Cat. Lich. Univ. 6: 589 (1930). T: Waterloo, Gippsland, Vic., H.Paton s.n.; lecto: GLAM, fide R.W.Rogers, Austrobaileya 1: 509 (1982); isolecto: BM. | ||
| Thallus pendulous, 10–60 cm long, grey-green to yellow-green; branching subdichotomous to irregular, often sympodial at base; secondary branches parallel; trunk pale; branches terete, to 1 mm wide, smooth or foveolate, not perforate, uniform or swollen near base of primary branches, cracking common in uneven segments, less common in even segments where joints often produce white deposits of calcium oxalate; apices tapered; branchlets not fine and thread-like; fibrils sparse to dense, short and arising at right angles to branch, or long and arising at acute angles; papillae absent. Isidia usually present, arising from cortex, cracks or pseudocyphellae, sparse to dense, short to long; pseudocyphellae, if present, usually numerous, punctiform, elongate or coalescing; soralia absent. Cortex hard, dull to glossy, smooth or patterned by pseudocyphellae. Medulla dense, arachnoid in swollen sections; axis 1/4–1/2 width of branch, hyaline. Apothecia uncommon, lateral to subterminal, to 4 mm diam.; disc plane to convex, rarely concave; fibrils sparse on margin, to 4 mm long; lower surface smooth. Ascospores 8.0–9.5 × 6.5 µm. CHEMISTRY: Cortex containing usnic acid. Medulla K+ yellow → red; containing norstictic acid (major), salazinic acid (major), connorstictic acid (trace), protocetraric acid (trace) and consalazinic acid (trace), or diffractaic acid (major), salazinic acid (major), norstictic acid (major), barbatic acid (trace), connorstictic acid (trace), consalazinic acid (trace) and scabrosins (trace). Medulla K–; containing psoromic acid (major) and conpsoromic acid (minor), or protocetraric acid (major). . | ||
| Occurs mainly in mangroves, but also on coastal hills, growing on bark, in eastern Qld and north-eastern N.S.W., with a single collection from Vic. Also on islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans (including Norfolk Is.). | ||
| Stevens (2004) | ||
| Checklist Index |
| Introduction | A–D | E–O | P–R | S–Z | Oceanic Islands | References |
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