Knight. — On some New Zealand Lichens. 365 



Note. — In reference to Dr. Stirton's description of certain New Zealand 

 lichens, published in the Transactions of last year, page 235, I find that the 

 Basomyces pertenuis, Stirton, is the Lecidea planella, NyL, described in Dr. 

 Nylander's Synopsis Lichenum Novse Caledonise, p. 45. 



Psoroma irtiplexa, Stirton, is the P. sphinctrina var. pJiolidofoides, Nyl. 

 Journ. Linn. Soc. p. 244. A careful examination of specimens of Dr. Stirton's 

 lichen in the collection of Mr. Buchanan discloses no difference between them 

 and Dr. Nylander's description. It grows on bark or trees, not on rocks as 

 (inadvertently 1) stated in Dr. Stirton's description. It is to be observed that 

 the same specimen may exhibit here and there simply a broad black boundary 

 line, and in other parts coarse black dendritic radiating fringe. 



Psoroma artJiropliyllum^ Stirton. This is a coarse variety of P. 

 suhpruinosum, Nyl. Like many common lichens the P. suhjiruinosum has 

 many varieties. They all agree in one respect — their spores are spherical or 

 oval, with no tendency to be pointed at the ends. In the same ascus are often 

 found both descriptions of spores intermixed. In such instances it may be 

 that the spherical appearance is due to the spore lying transversely in the 

 ascus, when it would be seen "end on," — but I am not sure that such is ever 

 the case. 



Squamaria thaumasta, Stirton. This is the Sq. perrugosa^ ^yl«) of which 

 a full and excellent description is given by Dr. Nylander in the Linnean 

 Journal above quoted. The scales of the thallus instead of being umbate are 

 most frequently somewhat depressed in the centre. The spores are strictly 

 uniserial and simple. Yery rarely an uniseptate spore may be met with. 

 This lichen is closely allied to Sq. gelida, Linn. 



These and most other lichens cannot be satisfactorily studied without the 

 aid of a microscope. The dimensions and figure of the spores, the distinction 

 between gonidia and gonimia of Nylander, and other differences, can only be 

 determined by a good microscope. Dr. Hooker in the Handbook of the N.Z. 

 Flora, especially alludes to the excellent specific characters afforded by the 

 spores, but it would, he adds, take many months of microscopic study to 

 ascertain accurately the size of the spores of New Zealand lichens. He has in 

 numerous instances given references to Dr. Nylander's works where the 

 dimensions are given. I have taken the measurements of the spores of most 

 of the New Zealand lichens, and find them to agree with those stated by Dr. 

 Nylander in his work on the Lichens of Scandinavia. 



