Flora of New Zealand Series

Thallus foliose, lobate, heteromerous, attached by adhesive discs below, or rarely by the whole lower cortex. Lobes inflated, ± solid in some species, without perforations in the upper surface, with or without soredia, without isidia or pseudocyphellae. Medulla white, loose, arachnoid. Lower surface black, corticate, wrinkled, thin, often fissured or perforate, without rhizines. Photobiont green, Trebouxia. Apothecia lecanorine, sessile or subpedicellate, disc concave to plane, rarely perforate, red-brown to yellowish-brown, epruinose. Ascospores simple, colourless, 8 per ascus. Pycnidia common in fertile species, minute, black, punctiform, immersed in upper surface. Conidia cylindrical, straight.

Hypogymnia, included in the family Hypogymniaceae [Elix Brunonia 2: 175-245 (1979)], contains c. 45 species widely distributed in both hemispheres [Bitter Hedwigia 40: 171-234 (1901); Krog Norsk Polarinst. Skr. 144: 93-102 (1968); Ohlsson Bryologist 76: 366-387 (1973); Elix loc. cit. ].

Elix ( loc. cit. ) recognises 8 species and five varieties from New Zealand. Species of Hypogymnia are found on bark, twigs, soil and rock from coastal to subalpine habitats. Synonyms and their typification are discussed in Elix ( loc. cit. ).