Parmelia testacea Stirt.
P. rudior Nyl., Lich. N.Z.: 25 (1888).
P. tenuirima var. erimis Nyl., Flora 68: 610 (1885).
P. crambidiocarpa Zahlbr., Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien math.-naturwiss. Kl. 104: 358 (1941).
Holotype: New Zealand. Prope Wellington. J. Buchanan, BM!
P. rudior. Holotype: New Zealand Sine loco. Charles Knight 57, 1867, H-NYL 35287!
P. tenuirima var. erimis. Holotype: New Zealand. Sine loco. Charles Knight 55, 1867, H-NYL 35289!
P. crambidiocarpa. Holotype: New Zealand. Taranaki, Mt Egmont, behind Wilkies Pools, Dawson Falls. On dead Pseudopanax sinclairii, 1400 m, 19.1.1934. L.M. Cranwell ZA 205, W!
Thallus spreading, to 10 cm diam., loosely attached, corticolous. Lobes variable, often rather narrow (2-5 mm wide) and elongate, to short and rounded-imbricate, dichotomously to irregularly branched, often clustered, imbricate centrally, apices blunt, pointed or rounded, margins entire, often devoid of algae in a narrow, white band. Upper surface greenish-grey (often bluish-green in deep shade) smooth, shining, rather thin and fragile when dry, often maculate at margins and apices, pseudocyphellae not well-developed, mainly marginal, small, sparse and scattered. Lower surface black, wrinkled or smooth, shining, densely rhizinate. Rhizines black, squarrosely branched, often protruding beyond margins. Apothecia frequent, pedicellate, small (2-4 mm diam.), to large and lacerate-expanded (to 20 mm diam.), disc brown, pale and often maculate in shaded specimens, imperforate, margins entire to crenate-incised, thalline exciple strongly wrinkled to corrugate-verrucose and maculate, rather scabrid, often lacking algae, concolorous with thallus. Ascospores ellipsoid, 13-18 × 8.5-11 µm. Pycnidia numerous, scattered, reddish-black, immersed, punctiform. Chemistry: Chemodeme i: Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K+ yellow → red, C-, KC+ red, Pd+ orange. Salazinic acid and atranorin. Chemodeme ii: Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K+ yellow, C-, KC+ pink, Pd+ orange. Protocetraric acid, atranorin and an unidentified compound. Chemodeme iii: Echinocarpic acid and atranorin. Chemodeme iv: Atranorin. In addition, occasional specimens appear to be "hybrids" with mixed chemical constituents.
N: Northland (Kawerua) to Wellington, both coastal and inland on east and west coasts. S: Nelson to Southland. Widespread, lowland to subalpine, s.l. to 1200 m. St: Sn:
Australasian (also in Tasmania)
The holotype collection (BM) is annotated by James Stirton "( New Zealand near Wellington, J. Buchanan. Out of No 42(". Buchanan's specimen 42 (WELT) is labelled by Buchanan "P. tenuirima" but is undoubtedly the same collection from which Stirton described P. testacea. It agrees in every respect with the BM type but is a larger and better preserved specimen. Buchanan gives as the locality of the collection, Tinakori Hills.
P. testacea is closely related to P. tenuirima but is separated from it by the narrower, ± branched lobes, imperforate apothecial discs, the verrucose-scabrid thalline exciple, the abundant laminal pycnidia, the smaller, scattered, sparse pseudocyphellae and the predominantly squarrosely branched rhizines which often project beyond the lobe margins. The variable chemistry shown by this species is not clearly supported by any morphological differences [see Elix, J. Hattori Bot. Lab. 52: 410-411 (1982)]. It appears that the development of narrow, branching lobes and copious rhizines is an adaptation to highlight, subalpine environments on twig substrates, since plants from canopy branches of Nothofagus, and from subalpine scrub at timberline (often species of Dracophyllum) have this morphology. When P. testacea grows as an epiphyte in shaded sites, the lobes become shorter, more rounded and imbricate and rhizines are fewer.
