Siphula jamesii
Description : Thallus fruticose. Lobes discrete or crowded, occasionally entangled and tufted, erect or ascending, simple, terete to subterete (6–)12–30(–35) mm tall, 0.2–0.8(–1.5) mm wide and 0.2–0.8 mm thick, tapering unevenly from base, slightly twisted, gibbose. Surface ivory-white sometimes with a pale-greenish or -brownish tinge, smooth or undulate rarely slightly scrobiculate at apices, never scabrid or reticulate (×10 lens). Apices obtuse, sometimes glebulose and fractured. Rhizomorphs brownish, terete, densely branched and entangled, fragile.
Chemistry : Cortex and medulla TLC−, all reactions negative.
S: Nelson (?Denniston Plateau). Doubtfully present in New Zealand. Known also from Tasmania (Kantvilas 1987, 2002a; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).
Australasian
Illustrations : Kantvilas (1987: 586, fig. 1; 587, fig. 2; 1996c: 18. fig. 6).
Siphula jamesii is characterised by: the terricolous habit; its ivory-white to pale-greenish or very pale brownish off-white thallus, with erect to ascending, mostly simple, terete to subterete, rather twisted, gibbose, tapering lobes to 35 mm tall and to 0.8 mm thick; and no secondary chemistry. It is distinguished from very narrow lobed forms of S. decumbens that are K+ yellow (thamnolic acid). The current name for this taxon is Parasiphula jamesii (Kantvilas) Kantvilas & Grube ube & Kantvilas 2006: 246).
