Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Phlyctella sordida (C.Knight) Müll.Arg., Bull. Herb. Boissier2, App. 1: 56 (1894).

=Phlyctella interfuscata Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel.: 74 (1888).

=Phlyctella peregena Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel.: 74 (1888).

Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco [probably Wellington], Charles Knight – WELT, Herb Knight Vol. 34, p. 18 [fide Galloway (1985a: 388)].

Phlyctella interfuscata. Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco [probably Wellington], 1882, Charles Knight – H-NYL 223030 [fide Galloway (1985a: 388)]. Isolectotype – ?WELT.

Phlyctella peregena. Holotype: New Zealand. Sine loco [probably Wellington], Charles Knight – H-NYL 22324 [annotated by Knight as "Phlyctis neo-zelandiae Nyl. var. membranula Knight", as mentioned in Nylander's description of Phlyctella peregena].

Description : Flora (1985: 388 – as Phlyctella sordida).

Chemistry : Thallus K+ yellow; containing stictic and hypostictic acids and an unidentified compound.

N: Northland to Wellington. S: Nelson to Southland. St: Widely distributed. On bark of trees and shrubs in moderate to dense shade.

Endemic

Illustration : Knight (1877: pl. XXXVIII, fig. 9).

Phlyctis sordida is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the minutely granular to velvety, whitish grey to glaucous-green thallus; the sessile to innate, solitary to clustered apothecia, 0.1–1.1 mm diam., the disc waxy, red-brown with a fine white pruina, and with cracked or split margins often obscuring the disc; 3–8-septate ascospores, (35–)40–60 × 5–5(–7) μm; and stictic and hypostictic acids in the medulla.