J. Hattori Bot. Lab. 100: 805 (2006).

Basionym: Replaced synonym: Almbornia cafferensis Essl. 1981 Competing homonym: non Xanthoparmelia cafferensis (Essl.) O. Blanco, A. Crespo, Elix, D. Hawksw. & Lumbsch 2004.

Protolog: Thallus subfruticosus, plus minusve appressus, usque ad 5 cm latus; lobis lineari-elongatis, 0.04-0.4 mm latis, sorediis isidiis rhiziniisque destitutis; medulla compactus, prosoplectenchymatus.

Protolog type data: Type: South Africa. Cape Prov.: Worcester Division, plateau between Sonklip and Matroosberg, on pebbly sandy flat rock surface, 6000 ft., Esterhuysen 27733 (US, holotype).

Type locality: South Africa, Western Cape Province, Worcester Division, plateau between Sonklip and Matroosberg, on pebbly sandy flat rock surface, 2000 m, Esterhuysen 27733 (US - holotype).

Thallus: subfruticose, weakly appressed-prostrate to somewhat pulvinate, very loosely adnate, up to 5 cm in diameter. Lobes linear-elongate to weakly torulose, dichotomously to somewhat irregularly branched and entangled, terminal segments as little as 0.04 mm broad, the older, main segments rarely reaching 0.4 mm broad, mostly flat to weakly convex or (especially in the terminal portions) nearly terete. Upper surface dark brown to black or gray-black; mostly smooth and regular, dull to slightly shiny; without soredia or isidia. Lower surface mostly tan to pale brown, sometimes darker and nearly concolorous with the upper surface near the lobe-ends; more or less flat to convex, smooth to slightly irregular; erhizinate but the thallus weakly attached by scattered terminal loboid holdfasts. Cortices paraplectenchymatous, 10-20 µm thick, the medulla prosoplectenchymatous except in the algal layer which is ca. 30-50 µm thick. Apothecia and pycnidia unknown (Esslinger 1981: 125).

Photobiont: Probably Trebouxia.

Chemistry: Norsticticc acid with trace amounts of stictic and connorstictic acids. Cortex K-, HNO₃-, of + faint blue-green; medulla PD+ yellow-orange, K+ yellow turning orange-red, C- (Esslinger 1981: 126).

Ecology: On silicious rock.

Distribution type: Known from three localities in the Western Cape Province. Endemic.

Taxonomy: "Superficially, this new genus bears some resemblancee to certain brown Parmelia species that are now placed in Neofuscelia, for instance N. lichinoidea (Nyl. ex Crombie) Essl. (Esslinger 1977, 1978)" (Esslinger 1981: 125).

Note: "The medulla, apparently adapted as mechanical tissue, is composed of parallel hyphae which are embedded in a dense intercellular matrix" (Esslinger 1981: 126). - This tissue can be interpreted as a water storage tissue.

Distribution Database: Distributions

Picture Database: Tropical Lichens

Molecular Database: Genbank

Synonym Database: Index Fungorum

Synonym Database: Mycobank