Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. Southland, Lake Te Anau, Middle Fiord. Near entrance to glow-worm caves by lake shore on trunk of Nothofagus menziesii. P.W. James, December 1962, BM!

Thallus laciniate, loosely attached, orbicular to spreading 2-8(-15) cm diam., corticolous. Lobes convex, narrow, 0.5-2.0 mm wide, rather short, irregularly to subdichotomously branched, margins entire, apices rounded. Upper surface bright green when wet, pale greenish-grey when dry, smooth, matt or shining, maculate (×10 lens), isidiate centrally, white-pruinose at margins. Isidia simple, finger-like becoming coralloid-branched, laminal, rarely marginal. Lower cortex absent. Hypothallus conspicuous, black, densely compacted, 0.5-1.5 mm thick, continuous over lower surface. Rhizines stout, black, simple, with an anchoring apical tuft. Apothecia and pycnidia not seen. Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K-, C+ red or -, Pd+ red or -. Two chemodemes are found in New Zealand populations, a C+ red, Pd- chemodeme containing anziaic acid and atranorin, and a C-, Pd+ red chemodeme containing fumarprotocetraric acid and atranorin.

N: Northland to Wellington. S: Nelson to Fiordland. St. Rare and local, although around the shores of Lake Rotoiti (Nelson) it is often common and well developed. A shade tolerant species epiphytic on Nothofagus, Dacrycarpus and Cordyline.

Endemic