Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. North Auckland, Tokatoka, 10 miles south of Dargaville. Lat. 36°S. On Cordyline australis 11 January, 1981. J.K. Bartlett, CHR 343222! Isotype in BM.

Thallus 5-10(-15) cm diam., ± loosely attached, thick, coriaceous, rather brittle when dry. Lobes 2-4(-5) mm wide, to 15 mm long, ± discrete at periphery, overlapping and becoming complicate-convolute centrally, margins raised, crenate-incised, pectinate, sinuous, phyllidiate. Upper surface matt, smooth, lettuce-green to olive-greenish when wet, tinged red-brown to dark brown at margins, pale greenish-buff when dry, ± papillate in places (internal cephalodia). Phyllidia mainly marginal and there often dense, less often laminal, simple to coralloid-branched, 0.1-0.3 mm wide, 0.2-1.2 mm tall, terete to flattened, often minutely pubescent below, tinged brownish at apices. Lower surface mainly smooth, minutely wrinkled or pitted near margins, ± uniformly tomentose to margins, tomentum thin at margins, thick centrally, brownish to brown- black centrally, buff or pale brown at margins. Cyphellae sparse to numerous, 0.1-1.5 mm diam., sunk in tomentum, round to irregular, membrane of pit roughened, ochre-brown, orange, yellowish or dull brownish-pink, never white. Apothecia not seen. Chemistry: A range of yellow and orange (UV+ yellow or orange after charring) pigments.

N: North Auckland (Pandora) south to lat. 38°S. An epiphyte, of coastal trees especially Cordyline australis and Leptospermum, s.l. to 300 m.

Endemic

S. babingtonii is a northern species characterised by the ochre-brown, orange, yellow or pinkish cyphellae and by the elongate marginal phyllidia which are often minutely pubescent below. The plant on storage has a distinctly fishy smell.