Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. Nelson, Hackett River, "ad confluentem rivulorum Hackett et Miner", 170 m, 25.iii.1996, W.M. Malcolm 2757 – CHR. Isotypes – BM, CANB, DUKE, ESS, GZU, H, HO, M, PRM, TSB, UPS, VBI, Herb. K. Kalb, Herb. A. Vězda.

Description : Thallus in spreading patches 1–3(–4) cm diam., delimited at margins by a thin, wavy, brownish to whitish, subbyssoid prothallus. Upper surface greenish grey to ashy, glossy and ±continuous in parts to ±granular–furfuraceous to nearly isidiate, on bark, rocks and leaves. Photobiont cells 6–8 μm diam., grouped in goniocysts, 25–30 μm diam. Apothecia ±central, scattered, solitary to 2–6-together, rounded (0.1–) 0.2–0.8(–1) mm wide, sessile, constricted at base; disc plane to subconcave, pale-orange-brown to red-brown, matt, epruinose, with a paler margin, translucent when moist, elevated and persistent in young fruits, excluded with age. Exciple colourless. Hypothecium brownish. Hymenium 80–90 μm tall, colourless; epithecium inspersed with small granules. Paraphyses straight, tubular, without septa, 1 μm diam., apices thickened to 2 μm diam. Asci cylindrical–clavate. Ascospores broadly ellipsoidal, 13.5 × 4–4.5 μm, epispore in thickened bands or ridges.

S: Nelson (The Brook), Westland (Lake Kaniere). On hard, greywacke rocks, bark and leaves (Pseudowintera colorata) in moist, humid, shaded habitats.

Endemic

Illustrations : Vězda (1997a: 4, fig. 1); Lumbsch et al. (2001a: 22); Malcolm & Malcolm (2001: 38, 49).

Exsiccati : Vězda (1997a: No. 265; 1997e: No. 302).

Malcolmiella cinereovirens is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the greenish grey thallus delimited by a thin, subbyssoid marginal prothallus; scattered, solitary to clustered pale-orange to red-brown apothecia; and broadly ellipsoidal, simple, colourless ascospores, 13.5 × 4–4.5 μm, with an epispore thickened in bands or ridges.