Ephebe Fr.
Thallus thread-like, fruticose, greenish-brown or black, without rhizines, ± gelatinous, without a cellular cortex. Photobiont blue-green, species of Stigonema, enclosing the hyphae. Apothecia immersed in the branches. Ascospores colourless, ellipsoid, 8-16 per ascus, simple or 1- to 2-septate.
Ephebe is a genus of filamentous, thread-like lichens found most commonly in temperate regions. It is included in the family Lichinaceae and comprises 12 species [Henssen Symb. bot. upsal. 18: 37-57 (1963)], two of which occur in New Zealand.
