Phaeophyscia adiastola
Synonyms
Physcia adiastola
Family
Physciaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Data Deficient | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Soralia round to irregular, laminal and submarginal; soredia more finely granular.
Distribution
South Island: Nelson (North-West of Collingwood, Nelson City).
Known also from North America and East and South Africa.
Habitat
Recorded on trees in a park (Nelson) and on coastal limestone rocks (Collingwood).
Detailed description
Thallus orbicular to irregular, sometimes pulvinate, 2–6(–10) cm diam. Lobes irregularly to dichotomously branched, ±linear, (0.3–)0.5–1.5(–3) mm wide, plane to concave, especially at commonly upturned tips; both upper and lower cortices paraplectenchymatous and leptodermatous. Upper surface greenish grey to dark-grey or brownish (darker on moistening with water), smooth, sorediate. Soralia irregular to occasionally weakly capitate, largely terminal and marginal (also laminal); soredia coarsely granular to isidioid and often becoming loosely aggregated into piles, (40–)60–90(–120) μm diam., concolorous with thallus to slightly paler or distinctly darker. Lower surface black, often paler at lobe apices, rhizinate. Rhizines numerous, long (to 2 mm) black (sometimes white-tipped), commonly visible from above lobe margins and/or the upturned lobe ends. Apothecia occasional, subpedicellate, to 3 mm diam., with rhizines around the base. Ascospores Physcia-type, (15.5–)17–22.5(–25) × 6–9 μm.
Chemistry: TLC−, all reactions negative.
Similar taxa
Distinguished from P. orbicularis by its usually more linear lobes and its coarsely granular to isidioid soredia that are located in irregularly delimited, marginal or terminal soralia. P. orbicularis has more finely granular soralia located in round to irregular, laminal and submarginal soralia, and this species generally also has somewhat shorter and more rounded lobes.
Substrate
Corticolous, saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (18 February 2022). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.