Flora of New Zealand Series

Thallus coralline-fruticose, ± erect, lobes terete or flattened, indistinctly corticate, a fountain-like arrangement of the internal hyphae is characteristic, ± gelatinous. Photobiont blue-green, Calothrix or Dichothrix. Apothecia lecanorine, terminal or lateral, minute, immersed in tips of branches, disc ± closed. Ascospores 8 per ascus, colourless, simple, oblong-ellipsoid, uniseriate.

Lichina is a genus of both marine and non-marine lichens, with c. 7 species known, included in the family Lichinaceae [Henssen Symb. bot.upsal. 18: 1-123 (1963)]. The marine species L. confinis and L. pygmaea are widely distributed, occurring on rocky shores in most parts of the world. The recent discovery of 4 non-marine species of Lichina in Patagonia, West Australia and Tasmania, shows that these predominantly alpine species have their centre of speciation in the Southern Hemisphere. They should be looked for in New Zealand. The most recent accounts of the family and genus are those of Henssen [ loc. cit. (1963); Lichenologist 4: 88-98 (1969); Lichenologist 5: 444-451 (1973)]. One marine species is recorded here.