Laurera Rchb.
Thallus crustose, epi- or endophloeodal, cortex amorphous of coalescing, unorientated hyphae, yellowish-tawny, pale orange or not well differentiated from colour of substrate, hypothallus lacking. Photobiont green, Trentepohlia, in subcortical layer, cells ± ovoid in uniseriate filaments. Perithecia in thalline verrucae, mono- or polycarpic in ± well-defined stromata, verrucae concolorous with thallus, reddish, orange, yellowish or whitish or brownish-black. Ostioles apical, black or white or grey-pruinose, punctiform to ± papillate. Hypothecium 8-20 µm tall. Paraphyses filling perithecial cavity, thin, septate, branched, netlike. Asci cylindrical-clavate with a well-developed endoascus. Ascospores 2-8 per ascus, colourless, muriform, 30-300 × 11-65 µm.
Laurera included in the family Laureraceae, is a genus of c. 30 species of corticolous, mainly tropical, lichens [Letrouit-Galinou Rev. bryol, lichénol. 26: 207-264 (1957); Rev. bryol. lichénol. 27: 66-73 (1958)]. Two species are here recorded from New Zealand, where the genus is still very poorly understood and undercollected. The taxon Laurera madreporiformis *, described from New Zealand on material collected by William Colenso, is an emergent bark-inhabiting fungus, possibly in the family Xylariaceae.
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* Laurera madreporiformis var. obscurior (Church. Bab.) Zahlbr. , Cat. lich. univ. 1: 504 (1922). Trypethelium madreporiforme var. obscurius Church. Bab. , Fl. N.Z. 2: 305 (1855). Bathelium madreporiforme var. obscurior (Church. Bab.) Müll. Arg. , Bull. Herb. Boissier 2, App. 1: 96 (1894).
Lectotype: New Zealand. Northern Island, on aged bark. W. Colenso 2850, BM!
