Flora of New Zealand Series

P. polydactyla var. dolichorhiza Nyl., Syn. Meth. Lich. 1: 327 (1860).

Lectotype: Nova Granata. Sine coll., H-NYL 33203!

Thallus orbicular to spreading, to 20 cm diam. Lobes ± detached, 3-8 cm long and to 1.5 cm wide, margins sinuous, often ascending. Lower surface white to brown, veins pale pinkish or brownish, 0.5-1.5 mm wide, slightly raised, to 0.2 mm tall. Rhizines 5-10(-12) mm long, dark brown-black, rarely simple, mainly fasciculate, tapering towards apices. Apothecia round, 2-5 mm diam., often ± reflexed, on narrow, elevated lobules, disc red-brown, exciple corrugate-scabrid, pale flesh-coloured, margins thin, crenate. Spores brownish, 3-7(-9)-septate, 48-85 × 3-4.5 µm. Chemistry: 7β -Acetoxyhopan-22-ol, 15?-acetoxyhopan-22-ol, hopane-6β, 22-diol (zeorin), hopane-7β, 22-diol, hopane-15α, 22-diol.

N: North Auckland (Three Kings Is) to Wellington. S: Nelson to Southland. St: Throughout, on mosses and plant debris, in damp, humid, shaded habitats, rarely on stones or soil. Lowland to subalpine.

Palaeotropical

P. dolichorhiza is the most commonly collected species of the genus in New Zealand and exhibits a wide range of growth forms. There is also considerable variation in the terpene composition of individual collections, some gatherings having a full complement of five terpenes, some with the first three terpenes mentioned, some with two, or only one terpene. It is possible that more than one species may be involved in this circumscription, but further collection and study will resolve this point. It seems probable that P. polydactyla recorded by Murray ( loc. cit.: 391-393), is referable to P. dolichorhiza and that P. polydactyla sens. str.  is absent from New Zealand.