Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Gyrophora subglabra Nyl., Lich. Env. Paris: 135 (1896).

Description : Flora (1985: 594).

Chemistry : Gyrophoric (major), lecanoric and umbilicaric (minor) acids (Feige et al. 1987; Narui et al. 1996).

S: Canterbury (Glen Lyon Station near Lake Ohau), Otago (St Marys Ra., Rock & Pillar Ra.). On alpine rocks, 1700–2000 m. Known also from Europe, Asia, North America and Australia (Wei & Jiang 1993; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Hestmark 2004).

Bipolar

Illustrations : Frey (1931: 387, fig. 59); Llano (1950: 245, pl. 12, figs 3, 4); Krog & Swinscow (1986: 83, fig. 7); Swinscow & Krog (1988: 320, fig. 163); Wei & Jiang (1993: 64, fig. 35; 65, fig. 36); Valladares (1994: 497, figs 15, 16); Wirth (1995b: 937); Thor & Arvidsson (1999: 335).

Umbilicaria subglabra is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; a monophyllous thallus (2–6 cm diam.) with somewhat ragged margins; the black or brown-black to dark-grey, smooth, not reticulate or areolate upper surface with fine lines radiating from the centre to the margins; and a black or mottled lower surface without rhizinomorphs but with non-septate thalloconidia in patches or lines.