Flora of New Zealand Series

Parmelia amphixantha Müll. Arg., Flora 71: 139 (1888).

Thallus loosely attached, 1-3 cm diam., rosette-forming, lobes convex, 0.5-2 mm wide, subterete towards apices, sublinear-elongate, subdichotomously to irregularly branched, often imbricate, ± separated near margins of thallus, margins entire, apices brown-tipped. Upper surface greenish-yellow, smooth, ± maculate especially at lobe apices, simple or sparingly branched black rhizines, 1-2 mm long, sometimes present, apices of lobes sometimes pseudosorediate, isidia absent. Lower surface brownish to pale yellowish-brown, smooth, often shining, weakly faveolate or subcanaliculate, sparsely to moderately rhizinate. Rhizines black, simple or sparingly branched, 1-3 mm long. Apothecia and pycnidia not seen. Chemistry: Cortex K-; medulla K+ red-brown, C-, KC-, Pd+, red. Fumarprotocetraric, succinoprotocetraric and usnic acids. For discussion of chemical variation in related species see Elix [ J. Hattori bot. Lab. 52: 411 (1982)].

S: East of the Main Divide in dry, inland basins of Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago. On exposed soil in grasslands; lowland, montane and subalpine, to 1200 m.

Australasian

Variation in this species is discussed by Galloway ( loc. cit., p. 529). It appears that New Zealand material is better accomodated in Parmelia reptuns Kurok. in Baker et al. [ Aust. J. Bot. 21: 137 (1973) and the combination in Xanthoparmelia needs to be made.