Flora of New Zealand Series

Description : Thallus monophyllous, closely attached in neat rosettes, 2–4(–6) cm diam. Margins entire to notched or incised, sometimes downrolled and occasionally with rhizinomorphs from lower surface protruding through fissures onto upper surface. Upper surface subpruinose to coarsely crystalline, scabrid-areolate (×10 lens), undulate, shallowly wrinkled to puckered to subreticulate-ridged, with sparse to numerous cracks, pale pinkish tan to brownish or dull-grey, Lower surface minutely roughened to delicately scabrid-areolate, pale pinkish white to pale greyish brown, often with extensive pale patches, without thalloconidia. Umbilicus stout, woody-striate, 2–5 mm diam., often with radiating platey lamellae. Rhizinomorphs sparse to numerous, often in well-defined patches, pale-pinkish to brown or greyish, cylindrical to flattened, 1–3 mm long, simple, to dichotomously or squarrosely branched. Apothecia common, often abundant, sessile or subimmersed, rounded to irregular to deformed through mutual pressure, solitary to crowded, (0.5–)1–2(–2.5) mm diam.; margins entire, sinuous, glossy, distinctly raised; disc coal-black, matt, epruinose, flat or subconcave, with a central raised (similar to margins) sterile button or fissures. Epithecium dark olive-brown, 10–15 μm thick. Hymenium colourless, 75–100 μm tall. Hypothecium pale reddish brown, 70–100 μm thick. Paraphyses simple, septate, 1–2 μm wide, apices swollen, olive-brown to 3–4 μm diam. Asci clavate, 60–70 × 18–20 μm. Ascospores colourless, subglobose to broadly ellipsoidal, fabiform or ovoid, 10–15 × 6.5–8.5(–9) μm. Pycnidia rather rare centrally, scattered to crowded at lobe margins, black, punctiform, 0.1 mm diam., or less. Conidia bacillar, colourless, 3–4 × 1 μm.

Chemistry : Gyrophoric (major), norstictic (major), lecanoric (minor) and umbilicaric (tr.) acids (Posner et al. 1992; Narui et al. 1996).

S: Marlborough (Mt Tapae-o-uenuku), Westland (Mt Haast), Canterbury (Head of Lake Tekapo, Two Thumbs Peak, Rangitata Valley, Liebig Ra.), Otago (Mt Earnslaw). A high-alpine species growing on rocks, 1900–3138 m; associating with Pseudephebe pubescens, Rhizocarpon, Tremolecia atrata, Umbilicaria decussata, U. durietzii, U. krascheninnikovii, U. subaprina and U. zahlbruckneri. Known also from Europe, Scandinavia, Greenland, Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya, Asia, and North America (Frey 1936b; Llano 1950; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Wei & Jiang 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Hansen 1995; McCune & Geiser 1997; St. Clair 1999; Brodo et al. 2001; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Obermayer 2004; Santesson et al. 2004; Elvebakk & Bjerke 2006).

Bipolar

Illustrations : Lynge & Scholander (1932: pl. III, figs 1, 2); Frey (1933: 231, fig. 33; 314, fig. 45); Llano (1950: 255, pl. 17, figs 1, 2); Hale & Cole (1988: 119, fig. 49B); Vitt et al. (1988: 241); Hansen (1995: 71); McCune & Geiser (1997: 300); St. Clair (1999: 203); Brodo et al. (2001: 709, fig. 872).

Umbilicaria virginis is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the monophyllous thallus; the pale pinkish white to tan or greyish, smooth to minutely roughened lower surface without thalloconidia; the cylindrical to flattened, simple to dichotomously or squarrosely branched rhizinomorphs, concolorous with the lower surface; the coarsely pruinose to scabrid, crystalline upper surface; sessile apothecia with slightly raised margins and with often (to rarely) a central sterile ring or button.