Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lecanora caesiocinerea Nyl. ex Malbr., Lich. Normandie: 320 (1870).

Description : Thallus rather thick, forming extensive patches, to 20 cm diam., cracked to warted-areolate; areolae continuous, subconcave to flat or subconvex, irregular to rounded, 0.3–1(–2) mm diam., matt, roughened, bluish, brownish or dark-grey, sometimes delimited by a thin, grey prothallus. Apothecia innate, crateriform to sessile, 0.2–0.8 mm diam., disc black, thalline margin, persistent, thin, entire. Hymenium (80–)120–150(–200) μm tall. Asci (4–)6–8-spored. Ascospores broadly ellipsoidal to globose, 14–30 × (7–)12–16 μm.

Chemistry : Thallus K−, Pd−; containing aspicilin.

S: Canterbury (Banks Peninsula, Mt Peel, Mackenzie Country), Otago (Central Otago mountains). On acid rocks (greywacke, basalt and schist), lowland to high-alpine. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Greenland, North America, and Australia (Purvis et al. 1992; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Hansen 1995; McCarthy 2003c; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004).

Bipolar

Illustrations : Ozenda & Clauzade (1970: 560, fig. 463); Moberg & Holmåsen (1982: 111); Hansen (1995: 77); Dobson (2005: 73).

Aspicilia caesiocinerea is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the bluish grey, warted-areolate thallus; innate apothecia with a prominent, thin thalline margin and black, epruinose discs; a high hymenium (120–150(–200) μm tall); and broadly ellipsoidal to globose ascospores, 14–30 × 7–16 μm.