Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Parmelia paleacea Fr., Lich. Eur. Reform.: 97 (1831).

≡Psoroma hypnorum ssp. paleaceum (Fr.) Nyl., Annls Sci. Nat. Bot., sér. 4, 12: 293 (1859).

≡Psoroma hypnorum var. paleaceum (Fr.) Rostr., Bot. Tidskr. 4: 96 (1870). [For additional synonymy and detailed nomenclatural and taxonomic discussion of this species see Timdal & Tønsberg (2006)].

=Psoroma hirsutulum Nyl. ex Cromb., J. Bot. 13: 333 (1875).

Description : Flora (1985: 475 – as Psoroma hirsutulum).

Chemistry : TLC−, all reactions negative.

N: Taranaki (Mt Taranaki). S: Nelson (Cobb Valley, Mt Arthur, St Arnaud Ra.), Marlborough (ridge between Resolution Bay and Ship Cove, Molesworth), Canterbury (Arthur's Pass, Porter's Pass, Hooker Valley), Otago (Routeburn Valley, Mt Earnslaw, Pisa Ra., Dunstan Mts, Old Man Ra., Poolburn, Raggedy Ra., Lake Onslow, Rock & Pillar Ra., Mt Pisgah, Maungatua, The Nuggets), Southland (Borland Saddle, West Dome). St: (Glory Cove). C: (Moubray Hill). A characteristic grassland species growing on dead tussock bases or over decumbent vegetation and litter, or on soil, s.l. (in the far south and in S Otago) to 2000 m. Known also from New South Wales, Tasmania and Macquarie I. (Jørgensen & Galloway 1992b: 282; McCarthy 2003c, 2006), Kerguelen (Crombie 1876: 184), southern South America (Galloway & Quilhot 1999; Liberatore & Calvelo 2002) and Alaska (Jørgensen 2005c). Recently, this species (as Psoroma hirsutulum) was identified in a collection from Iceland (Jørgensen & Kristinsson 2003), and from the Faroe Is (Alstrup 2004). It is now known more widely in Iceland and Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, Norway) where its distribution is mapped (Timdal & Tønsberg 2006: 56, fig. 2).

Bipolar

Illustrations : Martin & Child (1972: 141, pl. 42 – as Psoroma hirsutulum); Jørgensen (1978: 30, figs 9A, C; 31, fig. 10A – as Psoroma hypnorum var. paleaceum); Jørgensen & Galloway (1992b: 283, fig. 97D – as Psoroma hypnorum var. paleaceum); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 108 – as Psoroma hirsutulum); Kantvilas & Jarman (1999: 131 – as Psoroma hypnorum var. paleaceum); Liberatore & Calvelo (2002: 118, fig. 3 – as Psoroma hirsutulum); Jørgensen & Kristinsson (2003: 57, fig. 1 – as Psoroma hirsutulum) .

Psoroma paleaceum is characterised by: the terricolous/graminicolous habit; the hairy, crustose thallus; apothecia with narrow, crenate margins furnished with long, silky, white hairs, a brown, epruinose disc; and simple, colourless, subglobose ascospores, 16–19 × 12–14 μm. It is confused (generally by the similarity of the names!) with the South American species P. hispidulum Nyl., which is however, lobulate-squamulose with short hairs over the whole thallus.