Seaweed Lichen

The thallus of Pseudocyphellaria carpoloma has a diameter ranging between 50 and 500 mm. This lichen presents itself in vast, sprawling arrays that resemble a loosely tangled growth. The lobes of the lichen, measuring between 30–80 mm by 10–70 mm, have a distinct branching pattern – their formation subtly reminiscent of a dichotomy. Their margins are intact and delicately underlined with a yellow, wart-like structure known as pseudocyphellae. The lobes, when observed closely, display an array of colours. From a vivid lettuce-green or olive-green when wet to a pale greyish-green when dry, they often carry brownish undertones, particularly towards their tips. The lobes are strongly faveolate, meaning they have pits or depressions, giving the surface a somewhat dimpled appearance. The lichen does not produce isidia, phyllidia, maculae, or soredia–asexual reproductive propagules present in some other members of the genus. Pseudocyphellaria carpoloma has a white medulla (the inner layer), and it possesses a photobiont (photosynthesising partner), the green algal species Chlorella sphaerica. The lower surface ranges from a pale yellow margin to a buff, brownish or dark red-brown central region. …

Pseudocyphellaria carpoloma occurs in New Zealand, most commonly in northern coastal forest, but also on the west coast of South Island, on Stewart Island, and in the Kermadec Islands. It has been recorded growing on the trunk of the endemic palm tree Rhopalostylis sapida.

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