Menegazzia inactiva

Menegazzia inactiva is a foliose lichen with irregular, branching lobes growing up to 10 cm across. The upper surface is pale grey or greenish-grey, with sparse perforations which have a distinct rim. The thallus is brittle and fragile, and the ends of the lobes curve upwards from the substrate. Soreida are whitish to pale greenish-grey, floury or granular in texture and found in ragged soralia. This species is closely related to M. abscondita, and the two species can only be reliably distinguished by chemical means.

Menegazzia inactiva has only been found in western Tasmania and the South Island of New Zealand. This lichen was originally collected from Tasmannia lanceolata in rainforest at an elevation of 170 m. It is found in cool temperate rainforest, wet eucalypt forest and wet scrub at low altitudes. It grows on twigs and smooth-barked branches of a number of tree species including Lagarostrobos franklinii, Phyllocladus aspleniifolius and Nothofagus menziesii.