Sagenidium molle Stirt.
Lectotype: New Zealand, near Wellington. J. Buchanan, GLAM!
Thallus white to greyish-blue-white, soft, felted, in fine strands, 0.2-0.4 mm thick and 4-8 mm tall, and to 10(-15) cm diam., orbicular or irregularly spreading, without soredia or isidia, corticolous, or muscicolous. Apothecia emergent, lateral and terminal on strands, frequent to absent, subpedicellate, subglobose, disc concave to plane or subconvex, black or brown-black, distinctly white-tomentose, 0.5-1(-2) mm diam. Ascospores fusiform with pointed ends, 5-septate, locules rounded, slightly curved 22-30(-34) × 3-8 µm. Chemistry: Lepraric acid.
N: South Auckland (King Country) to Wellington (Tararua Ra.). S: Nelson (Cobb Valley, St Arnaud Ra.) to Southland (Longwood Ra.), both east and west of the Main Divide. St. Epiphytic on Dacrycarpus, Podocarpus and Nothofagus, s.l. to 400 m.
Australasian
S. molle is a shade-loving species and is most often found festooned on bark or overgrowing epiphytic mosses. Although known from Tasmania, it is not recorded from Australia [Weber and Wetmore Beih. Nova. Hedwigia 41: 1-137 (1972)].
