Stereocaulon colensoi
Synonyms
Corynophoron colensoi, Pilophoron colensoi, Stereocaulon colensoi var. caliginosum
Family
Stereocaulaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Fruticose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened
Brief description
Characterised by the saxicolous habit; a large, robust thallus to 8 cm tall; corticate or decorticate pseudopodetia, the surface smooth, wrinkled to verrucose-areolate, never sorediate; corticate, glossy, smooth, terete, finger-like to branched phyllocladia; very distinctly stalked ficoid, single or clustered cephalodia, the surface distinctly convoluted and maculate or scabrid-areolate; lateral and terminal apothecia with prominent, black or dark brown-black, marginate discs; and a chemistry of atranorin, colensoinic acid, unidentified tetrahydroxy fatty acids, and traces of unidentified compounds.
Distribution
North Island: Taranaki (Mt Taranaki), Wellington (Kaimanawa Ranges, Ruapehu, Ruahine Ranges, Tararua Ranges). South Island: Nelson (Mt Aorere, Mt Arthur Range, Lake Rotoiti, Denniston Plateau), Marlborough (d’Urville Island, Mt Stokes), Canterbury (Arthur’s Pass, Temple Basin, Andrews Stream, Hill’s Peak, Mt Herbert Banks Peninsula, Mt Peel, Hooker Valley), Otago (Lake Mackenzie, Flagstaff, Maungatua), Southland (Secretary Island, Resolution Island, Dusky Sound, Grebe Valley): Stewart Island/Rakiura: (Table Hill, Fraser Peaks, Smith’s Lookout Port Pegasus). Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku.
Habitat
On rocks in subalpine grassland.
Detailed description
Thallus large, robust, to 8 cm tall, firmly attached at base by a well-developed holdfast and there often conspicuously grooved and longitudinally furrowed with little lateral cracking, branching variable, complex or simple. Pseudopodetia stout, often vertically furrowed, corticate or decorticate, cortex cracked and somewhat marbled, smooth, wrinkled or verrucose-areolate, investing pseudopodetia ± completely to the base, or often restricted to near apices of pseudopodetia in vicinity of the fruit. Phyllocladia corticate, shining, smooth, slightly cracked, terete, finger-like at first becoming branched in older parts, numbers very variable, numerous or sparse. Cephalodia very distinctly stalked, ficoid, often numerous, single or clustered, frequently associated with phyllocladia, large, greyish-blue, surface distinctly convoluted and maculate or areolate-scabrid. Apothecia common, lateral and terminal, disc black or dark brownish- black, to 5 mm wide, immature fruits plane or concave with a conspicuous pale margin, mature fruits consistently convex and immarginate. Hypothecium colourless. Ascospores elongate-fusiform (5-)6-9(-13)-septate, 75-100 × 4-6 µm.
Chemistry: Atranorin, colensoinic acid, unidentified tetrahydroxy fatty acids, and traces of unidentified compounds.
Similar taxa
Stereocaulon colensoi could be confused with S. ramulosum, but S. colensoi grows at higher elevations, its thallus is less branched, and it has darker (dark brown to black) apothecia.
Substrate
Saxicolous
Etymology
colensoi: Named after William Colenso (7 November 1811 - 10 February 1899) who was a Cornish Christian missionary to New Zealand, and also a printer, botanist, explorer and politician.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (February 2023). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features sections copied from Galloway (1985, 2007).
References and further reading
Galloway DJ. 1985. Flora of New Zealand Lichens. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 662 p.
Galloway DJ. 2007. Flora of New Zealand Lichens. Revised 2nd edition including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln, NZ. Two volumes: vol. 1 pp 1–1006; vol. 2 pp 1007–2261.