Flora of New Zealand Series

Description : Thallus effuse, thin, spreading to form large patches 10–20 cm diam., granular areolae coalescing to form a granular crust, grey-white, greenish white to grey-green tinged brownish or orange-brown to orange-yellow or orange-red in patches (K+ purple) especially at margins and on soralia. Soralia farinose, greenish white to pale green, convex and discrete at first, soon coalescing and forming irregular sorediate patches. Apothecia rare or absent.

Chemistry : Thallus soralia and apothecia C+ red, Pd−; thallus and soralia in part K+ purple (orange pigment); containing gyrophoric acid, lecanoric acid (tr.), and unidentified anthraquinone.

St: (Magog, Fraser Peaks, Port Pegasus). On peaty soil among rocks in subalpine scrubland. Known also from Europe (including the British Isles), Scandinavia, Macaronesia, North America and Chile (Coppins & James 1984; Purvis 1992; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004; Elvebakk & Bjerke 2006).

?Bipolar

Illustrations : Coppins & James (1984: 242, fig. 1G; 260, fig. 3E); Lumbsch & Mietzsch (1990: 75, fig. 3E, F); Wirth (1987: 477; 1995b: 926); Dobson (2000: 385; 2005: 433).

Trapeliopsis pseudogranulosa is characterised by: the terricolous habit; its minutely granular thallus, rather large, farinose C+ red soralia, and an irregular patchy orange pigment on thallus and soralia reacting K+ purple.