Chondropsis semiviridis (F.Muell. ex Nyl.) Cromb.
Parmeliopsis semiviridis F.v. Muell. ex Nyl., Syn. Meth. Lich. 2: 57 (1869).
Parmelia hypoxantha Müll. Arg., Flora 39: 85 (1881).
P. hypoxantha var. major Müll. Arg., Flora 66: 77 (1883).
Thallus unattached, 5-10 mm diam., when dry, 10-35 mm diam., when wet. Lobes convex, 2-3 mm wide, dichotomously branched, margins entire, apices rounded, brown-tipped, curling inwards when dry, the thallus then becoming ± spherical. Upper surface greenish-yellow, smooth, often shining and faintly maculate (× 10 lens), isidia, pseudo-cyphellae and soredia absent. Medulla white. Lower surface pale yellow, minutely wrinkled. Rhizines absent. Apothecia rare, sessile or subpedicellate, laminal or submarginal, 0.5-2.5 mm diam., disc concave, reddish-brown, matt, smooth, margins thick, crenulate or minutely fissured, concolorous with thallus, thalline exciple smooth. Ascospores ellipsoid, 10 × 5 µm. Chemistry: Cortex K-, medulla K+ red-brown, C-, KC-, Pd+ red. Fumarprotocetraric, succinprotocetraric and usnic acids.
S: East of the Main Divide in dry inland basins of Marlborough, (Molesworth), Canterbury (Mackenzie Country) and Central Otago on arid soils in montane and subalpine grassland.
Australasian
Commonly associated with Cladia aggregata, Siphula coriacea, Xanthoparmelia amphixantha and X. molliuscula, and with Myosurus novaezelandiae, Poa colensoi, Raoulia australis, R. hookeri and Trifolium arvense in depleted grasslands heavily grazed by stock. Its present distribution in New Zealand is possibly the result of long-distance wind dispersal from Australia, as the lichen is unattached, rarely fruits and produces no vegetative diaspores.
