Lobaria asperula (Stirt.) Yoshim.
Ricasolia asperula Stirton, Proc. phil. Soc. Glasg. 10: 294 (1877).
Holotype: New Zealand. Near Wellington. J. Buchanan 238, BM!
Thallus foliose, lobate, loosely to closely attached, to 18 cm diam., corticolous. Lobes contiguous, undulate, sometimes imbricate, margins deeply crenate, subplacoid, slightly thickened, inrolling and often subascendent, ± densely phyllidiate-isidiate. Upper surface bright lettuce-green when wet, pale yellowish-brown to olive when dry, undulate, minutely rugose-plicate, roughened or obscurely ridged towards margins, distinctly phyllidiate, matt, lacking soredia, maculae or pseudocyphellae. Phyllidia mainly marginal at first, spreading to lamina, squamiform, rarely simple or terete, flattened, and ± dorsiventral. Medulla white, containing internal cephalodia visible as rounded swellings on lower surface. Lower surface pale yellowish-tan at margins, brown-black centrally, smooth and glabrous at margins with a short to thick, pale to dark tomentum towards centre, and clusters of black, stout, simple or squarrose rhizines (to 5 mm long), sometimes developed. Apothecia laminal, sessile, or subpedicellate, rather sparse, cupuliform, disc red-brown, to 4 mm diam., matt or shining, epruinose, imperforate, margins inflexed, coarsely rugulose-striate, becoming phyllidiate, thalline exciple yellow-brown, scabrid-areolate. Ascospores 8 per ascus, colourless or pale brownish, fusiform, 1-3(-7)-septate, 20-42 × 6-11 µm. Pycnidia occasional, immersed, visible as brownish globose swellings on upper surface, ostiole black, punctiform. Conidia straight, rod-shaped, 2-3 × 1 µm. Chemistry: Cortex K-; medulla K-, C+ red, KC+ red, Pd-. Gyrophoric acid.
N: North Auckland (Anawhata) to Wellington. S: Canterbury (Prices Valley, Banks Peninsula) to Otago (Nugget Point). On small trees and shrubs in coastal forest remnants from s.l. to 500 m. Occasionally on rocks.
Endemic
L. asperula is the phyllidiate counterpart of L. adscripta.
