Flora of New Zealand Series

P. fulvescens (Mont.) Nyl., Mém. Soc. natn. Sci. nat. Cherbourg 5: 109 (1875).

Parmelia fulvescens Mont., Annls Sci. nat. Bot. sér 3, 10: 125 (1848).

Coriscium neozelandicum Zahlbr., Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien math. -naturwiss. Kl. 104: 257 (1941).

Coriscium neozelandicum. Lectotype: New Zealand, Rangitoto I. on Metrosideros excelsa. H.H. Allan 54, CHR 375742!

Thallus foliose-lobate, rather loosely attached, suborbicular, to 8 cm diam., corticolous. Lobes 8-15 mm long and 1-4 mm broad, radiating or ± canaliculate, undulate to cuneate-flabellate, contiguous to imbricate, margins rounded, shallowly incised or crenate, sinuous, ± ascending. Upper surface continuous, wrinkled, especially at sinuses and near apices, minutely verrucose-scabrid (×10 lens) and occasionally minutely tomentose, yellowish to fawnish-brown or greyish-yellow, sorediate. Soralia limbiform, bluish, conspicuous, mainly marginal, soredia coarse, granular, crowded, bluish. Lower surface pale, white at margins, buff centrally, ± evenly covered with short, whitish tomentum, and in places with ± dense tufts of white to blue-black, squarrose rhizines. Apothecia rare, sessile, 1-3 mm diam., disc pale to dark brown-red or blackened, plane or subconcave, thalline margin thick, elevated, sulcate, often pulverulent-sorediate, whitish or bluish, concolorous with soralia. Ascospores thick-walled, rounded at one end, contents granular, 12-18 × 5-10 µm. Chemistry: Cortex K-, C-, KC-, Pd+ red. Pannarin.

N: Three Kings Is to Wellington (Waimeha Stream). S: Nelson (Maruia Valley and westwards), Westland (Westport south to Waiatoto River). Often on Leptospermum bark in warm, humid habitats in partial shade.

Pantropical

A distinct species characterised by the yellow-fawn, wrinkled upper surface and the bluish, limbiform soralia at the margins.