Knightiella splachnirima (Hook.f. & Taylor) Gyeln.
Parmelia splachnirima J.D. Hook. et Taylor, Hook. Lond. J. Bot. 3: 645 (1844).
Baeomyces squamarioides Nyl., Syn. Meth. Lich. 1 (2): 184 (1860).
Knightiella leucocarpa Müll. Arg., Flora 69: 255 (1886).
Thelidea corrugata Hue, Bull. Soc. bot. fr. 48: LXI (1902).
Thallus small-foliose, ± lobate or ± squamulose, forming orbicular patches on soil, to 10 cm diam., loosely to closely attached. Lobes ± rounded to flabellate, or of contiguous or subimbricate squamules, to 5 mm wide and to 8 mm long, 0.2-0.4 mm thick, ± continuous centrally, margins entire without cilia, sinuous or variously notched or incised or ± lobulate and ± ragged, ± subascendent and somewhat flexuous, slightly thickened. Upper surface bright lettuce-green when wet, pale greyish-green or greenish-white when dry, becoming buff-grey to pinkish or uniformly whitish on storage, matt or very faintly maculate (×10 lens), faintly white-tomentose or areolate-scabrid at margins, ± wrinkled-uneven or undulate. Lower surface ecorticate, smooth, white, ± arachnoid, without rhizines, adhering to substrate by medullary hyphae. Apothecia emergent, hemiangiocarpic, scattered, laminal, subpedicellate, solitary to crowded and ± confluent, often present as pale, whitish-pink, hemispherical swellings (apothecial initials), disc round to irregular, 1-3.5(-7) mm diam., pale reddish-pink to buff-pink, ± regularly buff-pruinose, undulate or plane, wrinkled-scabrid with a pale, ± crenulate proper margin, exciple pinkish, wrinkled-scabrid. Hypothecium pale yellowish. Asci cylindrical. Ascospores uniseriate, colourless, mostly simple, becoming 1-septate at maturity, ellipsoid, 12-15(-18) × 3-5. Chemistry: Cortex K+ pale yellow, C-, KC-, Pd+ yellow or orange. Thamnolic ± decarboxythamnolic acids and an unidentified phenolic compound (tr.).
S: Nelson (Denniston Plateau). Otago and Southland in coastal, subalpine peat bogs from Silver Peaks, Swampy Hill and Maungatua to the Awarua Plain. St: Mt Anglem to Fright Cove, Port Pegasus. A: C: s.l. to 900 m.
Australasian
