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in the centre of the thallus and on the margins. Apothecia common, laminal,
lecanorine, the disc grey- or white-pruinose. Spores brown, 2-celled.
Photobiont: chlorococcoid. Spot-tests: cortex K+ yellow, medulla K+ faintly
yellow, P+ yellow-orange. Pigment on lower surface K+ blood red. - Rare,
found only in natural habitats above 1000 m, often together with mosses and
bryophytes. (The Queensberry Tea Estate in Nawalapitiya, Horton Plains and
Kalupahana in Knuckles mountain region).
Heterodermia rubrotricha
Weerakoon & Aptroot
Thallus foliose to subfruticose, forming tufts up to 10 cm in diameter. Lobes
dichotomously branched, divided into linear, ascending to pendulous or nearly
erect whitish lobules with tapering tips, with dense marginal cilia; cilia dull,
simple or with many perpendicular branchlets, mostly covered by a dark peony
red pigment except at the base and the very tips. Upper surface smooth, shiny,
flat to convex. Lower surface whitish, without rhizines. Soredia and isidia
absent. Apothecia common, laminal on the upper surface, lecanorine, the disc
brownish grey, often (but not always) heavily white-pruinose. Spores brown, 2-
celled. Photobiont: chlorococcoid. Spot-tests: cortex K+ yellow; medulla K+
faintly yellow, red pigment on cilia K+ purple. - Hitherto known only from the
type locality, on the smooth bark of tea (
Camellia
) trees in tea plantations
(Nuwara Eliya-Pattipola, Mahagasthotte tea plantation, 1706 m).
Heterodermia speciosa
(Wulfen) Trevis.
Common names:
Powdered fringe lichen, powdered centipede
. - Thallus foliose,
the lobes slightly disjunct to adjacent, more or less plane, not ascending, with
short lateral lobes. Upper surface greyish white. Lower surface corticate, white,
with marginal rhizines. Soralia apical on the main and lateral lobes, lip-shaped,
producing farinose soredia. Apothecia rare (not seen in Sri Lankan material),
lecanorine. Spores brown, 2-celled. Photobiont: chlorococcoid. Spot-tests:
cortex and medulla K+ yellow, C-, KC-, P+ yellow. - Uncommon, mostly
corticolous in wet upper montane forests above 1200 m (Nawanagala in the
Knuckles mountain region and Kabaragala in Matale District).
Hypogymnia zeylanica
(R. Sant.) D.D. Awasthi & Kr.P. Singh
hallus foliose, corticolous. Lobes spreading, pinnately branched, inflated and
hollow inside, yellowish grey to brownish grey above. Lower surface wrinkled,
without rhizines, brown to blackish brown. The upper surface bears simple to
branched, cylindrical isidia. Apothecia rare, lecanorine, sessile, the disc flat,
brownish black. Spores colourless, 1-celled. Photobiont: chlorococcoid. Spot-
tests: upper cortex K+ yellowish, medulla K+ yellow to orange-brown, C+
orange, KC+ red, P-. - Common in humid forests areas above 1600 m (Horton
Plains, few places along the Pattipola road and Ohiya Road close to the Horton
Plains entrance).
Hypotrachyna brevirhiza
(Kurok.) Hale
Thallus foliose, more or less adnate, to 8 cm wide, frequently pruinose, with sublinear to subirregular lobes that are
contiguous or overlapping, with subcapitate soralia and soredia that are initially farinose, becoming granular and
clustered. Lower surface black, densely rhizinate with a narrow erhizinate margin. Apothecia lecanorine. Spores
