Flora of New Zealand Series

P. fimbriatoides D. Galloway et P. James, Lichenologist 15: 142 (1983).

Holotype: New Zealand. Canterbury, Banks Peninsula, below summit of Mt Sinclair, 670 m. On rocks on forest floor in dense bush, 14 February, 1980. J.M. Elix 7125, CHR 381117!

Thallus closely attached, irregularly spreading 5-10(-15) cm diam. Lobes very variable, broadly elongate (1 × 5 cm) ± contiguous or discrete to short, rounded, 2-8 mm diam., and ± imbricate, margins slightly thickened, sinuous, notched or incised, to ± densely denticulate-phyllidiate. Phyllidia marginal, lobulate, simple to coralloid, delicately white-pubescent. Upper surface undulate, dark slate-grey-blue when wet, pale greyish-fawn when dry, smooth, shining or matt, coriaceous, not reticulate-faveolate or areolate-scabrid, without maculae, soredia, isidia or pseudocyphellae. Medulla white. Photobiont blue-green. Lower surface whitish to pale buff and ± glabrous at margins, darkening to ± blackened centrally, tomentose centrally. Tomentum thick, white or buff. Pseudocyphellae white, prominent, fleck-like at margins, ± convex centrally, 0.05-0.2 mm diam., scattered, rather sparse to moderately common. Apothecia sessile to subpedicellate, rare, laminal or submarginal, sparse to moderately abundant in some collections, concave to plane, disc red-brown to dark brown, shining, epruinose, 0.2-1.5 mm diam., margins pale flesh-coloured, entire to subcrenate, verrucose-scabrid, persistent, often obscuring disc in young fruits. Ascospores uniseriate or biseriate, colourless to pale yellowish-brown, 1-3-septate, ellipsoid, with pointed ends, 20.4-27.2 × 6.8-8.3 µm. Chemistry: 7β-acetoxyhopan-22-ol, hopane-15α,22-diol, hopane-7β,22-diol (tr.).

N: South Auckland (Kaimai Tunnel), Wellington (National Park). S: Canterbury (Banks Peninsula, Alford Forest), Westland (Jacksons Bay), Southland (Homer). On rocks, soil on rocks, or on tree bark in densely shaded habitats. Still poorly known and collected.

Endemic

This blue-green photobiont, counterpart species of P. fimbriata is distinguished from P. allanii by the phyllidiate margins. It is separated from P. dissimilis by the delicately tomentose or pubescent phyllidia.