Phaeorrhiza H. Mayrhofer & Poelt, 1979

Zhong, Qiuyi, Zhang, Yanyun, Wang, Xinyu, Timdal, Einar, Gong, Hede, Wang, Zizhi & Wang, Lisong, 2021, Phaeorrhiza (Physciaceae), a new lichen genus record to China, Phytotaxa 510 (3), pp. 228-238 : 231

Phaeorrhiza H. Mayrhofer & Poelt , Nova Hedwigia 30: 783, 1978

Typus generis:— Phaeorrhiza nimbosa (Fr.) H. Mayrhofer & Poelt

External morphology:—see Mayrhofer & Poelt (1978).

Phaeorrhiza is characterized by a squamulose to subfoliose thallus, brown rhizohyphae on the lower side of the squamules, and the Beltraminia - type ascospores ( Mayrhofer & Poelt, 1978; Sheard, 2010). Anaptychia and Physconia are phylogenetically close to Phaeorrhiza ( Lohtander et al., 2000, Grube & Arup 2001, Helms et al., 2003), but they differ by having a foliose thallus. Besides, some terrestrial taxa of Physciaceae might bemorphologically similar to Phaeorrhiza , such as Rinodina terrestris Tomin. and Rinodina roscida (Sommerf.) Arnold etc., but those species can be distinguished by the lack of rhizohyphae and different ascospore types.