Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Psoroma pallidum Nyl., Syn. meth. lich. 2: 25 (1863).

Description : Flora (1985: 478 – as Psoroma pallidum).

Chemistry : Pd+ orange; containing vicanicin, pannarin, dechloropannarin and leprolomin (Piovano et al. 1985) [based on Chilean material].

S: Nelson (Mt Arthur, Lake Rotoiti), Canterbury (Arthur's Pass, Cass, Craigieburn Ra., Governor's Bush), Otago. On bark and twigs of Leptospermum scoparium, Nothofagus, Phyllocladus in moderate shade at forest margins. Known also from Argentina and Chile (Galloway & Quilhot 1999).

Austral

Illustration : Martin & Child (1972: 141, pl. 42 – as Psoroma sp.).

Pannaria cf. pallida is characterised by: the corticolous habit; a conspicuous foliose–lobate thallus without a prothallus; discrete, radiating, subdichotomously to irregularly branched, laciniate lobes, 2–5 mm wide and 5–25 mm long, with irregularly notched to knobbly margins; a distinctly roughened–irregular, fibrous upper surface, that is pruinose or tomentose in places; simple globose to glomerulate cephalodia developed at lobe margins or on the lower surface; numerous, clustered apothecia, 0.5–4 mm diam., with red-brown, densely blue-white-pruinose discs that are never gyrose-etched; globose ascospores, 11–15 μm diam., with a 2-μm-thick perispore; and a chemistry containing pannarin. It has a green alga as major photobiont. There are differences between New Zealand and southern South American material, which may yet lead to the New Zealand taxon being given independent status. However, until further comparisons are made, the New Zealand material is designated P.aff.pallida. New Zealand material earlier designated Psoroma contortum Müll.Arg. (Galloway 1985a: 472) probably refers to P. aff.pallida, or may in fact represent an undescribed taxon.