Pseudocyphellaria pubescens (Müll.Arg.) D.J.Galloway & P.James
Sticta pubescens Müll. Arg., Bull. Soc. r. Bot. Belg. 31: 28 (1892).
Holotype [fide Galloway and James loc. cit., p. 302 (1980)]: New Zealand. Sine loco. Charles Knight, G!
Thallus rather loosely attached, 5-15(-25) cm diam., ± orbicular, rosetteforming to spreading. Lobes rather thick, elongate-laciniate, to 10 mm wide, subdichotomously branching, margins entire or variously notched or incised, ± sinuous, distinctly thickened, conspicuously white-pubescent, without soredia, isidia or phyllidia. Upper surface bright lettuce-green when wet, pale yellowish-brown or buff when dry, smooth, coriaceous, ± distinctly reticulate-faveolate, ridges low, smooth, slightly scabrid centrally, ± pubescent or short, white-tomentose marginally and often also laminally, tomentum often abraded in patches, without soredia, isidia or pseudocyphellae. Medulla white. Photobiont green. Lower surface densely tomentose to margins, pale buff marginally, dark brown centrally. Pseudocyphellae yellow, conspicuous, large. Apothecia marginal or submarginal, subpedicellate, to 8 mm diam., disc shallowly concave, matt, black, with a fine, grey-white pruina in young fruits, margins pale flesh-coloured, entire at first, becoming distinctly incised-coronate, thalline exciple coarsely verrucose-areolate. Ascospores brown, 1-septate, 20-35 × 5-8(-10) µm. Chemistry: Hopane-15α,22-diol, hopane-6α,7β,22-triol, pulvinic acid, pulvinic lactone, calycin, tenuiorin, methyl gyrophorate, methyl evernate, methyl lecanorate, stictic, constictic and norstictic acids.
N: National Park to Wellington. S: Nelson to Fiordland, mainly west of the Main Divide, eastwards from Lewis Pass to Mt Peel. Mainly in Nothofagus forest, or on trunks of podocarps at forest margins, 200-600 m.
Endemic
Distinguished from P. margaretae (the two species occasionally form photosymbiodemes) by the green photobiont, and from P. gretae by the entire margins, and yellow pseudocyphellae and well-defined chemistry.
