Pannaria phyllidiata

Pannaria phyllidiata resembles the Pannaria sphinctrina species but can be distinguished by the presence of approximately 0.5 mm long, branched, and ascending phyllidia, as well as nodulose apical extensions of the perispores. The lichen forms foliose rosettes with a diameter of 3–15 cm (1.2–5.9 in), closely attached to the substrate. The lobes are irregularly to subdichotomously branched, discrete in peripheral parts, and imbricate to centrally coalescent. The upper surface is pale greyish-green, smooth (glabrous), and glossy, turning chestnut brown over time in herbaria. The photobiont layer is 20–25 μm thick, consisting of more or less spherical cells that resemble Myrmecia. Apothecia are scattered and laminal, with discs that are rufous brown and flat. The proper ascospores are hyaline, non-septate, ellipsoid to lemon-shaped, and distinctly verrucose when mature; they measure 7.5–10 by 12–16 μm. The secondary chemistry of Pannaria phyllidiata includes vicanicin as the major compound and trace amounts of unidentified terpenoids.

This lichen species is primarily found in New South Wales, Australia, with single occurrences in Victoria and Queensland. Pannaria phyllidiata typically grows on tree or tree fern trunks in rainforests at elevations between 200 and 1,500 m (660 and 4,920 ft), occasionally on rocks near streams. It is associated with various tree species, including Nothofagus, Eucalyptus, Olearia, Pomaderis, Trochocarpa laurina, Lomatia ilicifolia, and Bedfordia salicina.