Flora of New Zealand Series

P. sordida (Knight) Müll. Arg., Bull. Herb. Boissier 2, App. 1: 56 (1894).

Phlyctis sordida Knight, Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. ser. 2, Bot. 1: 281 (1878).

Phlyctella interfuscata Nyl., Lich. N.Z.: 74 (1888).

P. peregena Nyl., Lich. N.Z.: 74 (1888).

Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco. (prob. Wellington). Charles Knight, WELT, Herb. Knight, Vol. 34, p. 18!

P. interfuscata. Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco (prob. Wellington). Charles Knight 1882, H-NYL 22303!

P. peregena. Type: New Zealand. Sine loco (prob. Wellington). Charles Knight, H-NYL - not seen.

Thallus orbicular to spreading, in patches, 2-5(-10) cm diam. Upper surface minutely granular, appearing ± velvety, areolate-cracked, crazing of cracks very fine to ± gaping, whitish-grey to glaucous-green or dingy olivaceous, whitish-arachnoid at margins, surface regular and smooth on flat bark, closely following contours of substrate. Apothecia frequent, single or ± confluent in groups, sessile or ± innate, disc round to irregular, 0.1-1.1 mm diam., subconcave to plane, dark grey or black to occasionally red-brown, waxy, with a fine, white, delicate pruina, margins raised, ± inflexed, sinuous or irregular, cracked or split and ± fractured, white or creamy, often obscuring disc. Ascospores 3-8-septate (35-)40-60 × 4-5(-7) µm. Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow. Stictic and hypostictic acids and unidentified compound A.

N: Northland to Wellington. S: Nelson to Southland. St: Widely distributed.

?Endemic