Xanthoparmelia saniensis is a high-elevation species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in Southern Africa, it was formally described as a new species in 1986 by the American lichenologist Mason Hale. The type specimen was collected from Sani Pass, east of Customs Gate (Lesotho) at an elevation of , where it was found growing on exposed dolerite ledges. The lichen thallus, which is tightly attached to its rock , is yellowish green in colour and measures broad. It has dense, (roughly spherical) isidia that are constricted at the burst, and burst open at the tip.