0ac«7hbt#"1 



Wili is V<?i«j Genus 0/ Alpote Ltchan 



127 



lically no parathecinm. 4id clavatc eylmdric, to 07 mm. long, 

 darker toward rhe rounded apex Ascospmcs mnltiseptate, hyaline. 

 rod shaped, with hhmtish extremities, 35 40 X 1 m;r .1/r/rtf httft 



pmtococeoirl. 



DISCUSSION 

 Mtcr die clcath> gf Rlv F. R M Wilson in 1\*03 and R. A. 

 Rastow hi 1920. there was no one in Victoria with a good working 

 knowledge 01 the lichen flora. About 1940 the late I 1 , Bibby look 

 up the study of these fascinating, if neglected, plants, and in thtr 

 course of a lew ycar> he became the only lichen authority anil 

 informant of Australia, corresponding regularly with experts in 

 Europe and America, His untimely death la.sr year was a sad Mow 

 to lichenology. One or his most intriguing problems was the rruc 



nature of a tare alpine specie* 

 which Rev. Wilson had found 

 on Mt. Tfniham m January 

 1890 ; the specimen was barren, 

 hut Three months later Wilson 

 described ii a.s Sipfmla inuciteri- 

 No other collections came to 

 Ifeht for 5y years: dien, while 

 Bibby and H. T. ClifiVd were 

 botanizing together on tbf 

 Rogwng High Plains (Jan. 

 194SJ, tht Utter botanist was 

 fortunate enough |i> rediscover 

 Sipfmh wifrH'M'i — in quantity and in fruit! The oresenr writer edso 

 located material with fruiting bodies on granitic boulders at Mt. 

 Stirling, March I953. On Marcli 19, 3951, Bihby sent specimens 

 ro the world authority on Antarctic lichens, Dr. Carrol W. Dodge 

 of Missouri, who announced (1/6/1953) that a new genus oi 

 I'MettctUr was involved; he pointed out the differences from other 

 genera in this family and suggested that Bibby SjO ahead with 

 its forma! description. Unfortunately, publication had not been 

 made up ro the time of Bibby '5 death, and I do not even know 

 what he intended to call it. With Dr. Dodge's approval, 1 now 

 bestow on it The surname of my late friend and colleague -a?, a 

 permanent, fitting in bate to one who did so much toward the 

 elucidation of Australian lichens and hepatics. 



Ribbya is hfo&t closely related to the boreal Dactyhna- Nyl. which 

 displays a similar madreponform, hollowed thallus with Iecanorinc 

 apolhecia, but ihe (after has much smaller, unicellular, spherical to 

 elbp.soid spores. Endocewa informis Cromb. of Patagonia also has 

 a. dwarf, fruricose, radiate and somewhat hollowed ttiallus. but the 

 <nrfa.ee is chalk}' and fruitmg body unknown, $i$ktil& 4 shtf genus 

 under which Wilson described B. muelferi, is not known in the 

 mmmg condition and all species have a solid thalluv 



