Stereocaulon ramulosum
Synonyms
Stereocaulon macrocarpum, Stereocaulon proximum f. traversii, Stereocaulon pulvinare, Stereocaulon ramulosum var. pulvinare, Stereocaulon ramulosum var. pulvinare f. crebratum, Stereocaulon ramulosum var. macrocarpum, Stereocaulon ramulosum var. submollescens, Stereocaulon submollescens, Stereocaulon traversii
Family
Stereocaulaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Fruticose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Characterised by the terricolous/saxicolous habit; the large, often well-developed thallus to 25 cm tall; complexly branching pseudopodetia; terete to coralloid-branched phyllocladia; sessile, wrinkled, smooth-surfaced cephalodia; terminal and lateraal apothecia with convex, pale to dark red-brown discs; and a chemistry of atranorin, perlatolic and ±anziaic acids.
Distribution
Kermadec Islands: Raoul Island (Sunshine Valley). North Island: Northland (Three Kings Islands, Te Paki, Herekino, Mitimiti, Kawerua, Cavalli Islands, Bay of Islands, Rakitu Island, Poor Knights Islands, Fanal Island, Little Barrier Island, Hen & Chickens Islands, Whangarei Heads, Leigh, Kawau Island), Auckland (Auckland City, Rangitoto Island, Piha, Anawhata, Waitakere Ranges), South Auckland (Cuvier Island, Hunua Ranges, Coromandel Peninsula, Shoe & Slipper Islands, Motuhora & Rurima Islands, Taupo), Gisborne (Waikaremoana), Hawke’s Bay (Norsewood, Cape Kidnappers), Taranaki (Mt Taranaki), Wellington (Ruapehu, Kaimanawa Ranges, Ruahine Ranges, Kapiti Island, Tararua Ranges, Rimutaka Ranges, Tinakori Hill). South Island: Nelson (Cobb Ridge, Mt Arthur Range, Travers Valley, Lake Rotoroa, Lake Rotoiti, St Arnaud Range, Denniston Plateau), Westland (Greymouth, Franz Josef), Marborough (Mt Stokes, Queen Charlotte Sound), Canterbury (Lewis Pass, Arthur’s Pass, Torlesse Range, Port Hills, Banks Peninsula, Mt Peel, Four Peaks Range), Otago (Haast Pass, West Matukituki Valley, Dansey’s Pass, Lake Onslow, Carrick Range, Old Man Range, Mt Cargill, Sandymount, Maungatua, the Nuggets), Southland (Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound, Te Anau, Manapouri, The Wilderness, Invercargill, Bluff Hill, Awarua Bay, Waituna Lagoon, Howell’s Point, Rowallan Burn). Stewart Island: (Port William, Halfmoon Bay, Lonneker’s Beach, Thule, Table Hill, Tin Range, Fraser Peaks, Cooks Arm, Noble Island Port Pegasus). Auckland Islands: (Adams Island, Carnley Harbour). Campbell Island: (Mt Beeman, Mowbray Hill, Mt Lyall). Chatham Islands. Antarctica: (Hut Cove).
Known also from Mexico, West Indies, Central and South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Argentina), Central and East Africa, Australia (including Macquarie Island), Hawai’i, Tahiti, Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu.
Habitat
A common and widespread species from coastal rocks, clay banks, gravel and sand, to inland habitats, commonly straggling in grassland, s.l. to 1500 m. An aggressive coloniser of disturbed habitats, such as roadside cuttings and verges, areas of forest clearance and alongside streams and rivers. It tolerates a wide range of ecological conditions from exposed, subantarctic grasslands to forest. One of the most commonly collected lichens in New Zealand.
Detailed description
Thallus variable in size though mainly very large and well-developed, to 25 cm tall, with a very prominent holdfast, yellowish-brown and devoid of cortex and phyllocladia. Pseudopodetia ± complexly branching, of stout primary branches and smaller more richly branched, secondary branches towards apices, primary branches white, ± decorticate with prominent exposed fungal hyphae visible, appearing tomentose, ± fibrillose (×10 lens), with occasional shallow, vertical grooves, often lightly invested with a thin layer of algae, secondary branches ± covered with a distinctly greenish algal layer. Phyllocladia terete, corticate, conspicuously green when wet, simple, nodular and finger-like at first (often densely clothing young pseudopodetia) soon becoming complex, coralloid-branched, conspicuous towards apices of pseudopodetia. Cephalodia numerous, sessile or occasionally shortly stalked, prominent, bluish-grey when wet, folded, indented or wrinkled, surface smooth, never areolate or immaculate or scabrid. Apothecia usually terminal but also subterminal and lateral, small, usually not wider than supporting branch, disc always convex, pale red-brown to dark brown never black, thalline exciple smooth, pale yellowish brown. Ascospores 3-5(-7)-septate, 28-40(-90) × 3-4 µm.
Chemistry: Thallus K+ yellow, C−, KC−, Pd−; containing atranorin, perlatolic acid and ±anzaic acid (Cambie 1968). The anti-fungal compound methyl haematommate was recently isolated from S. ramulosum by Hickey et al. (1990).
Substrate
Terricolous, saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (7 March 2022). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985, 2007).
References and further reading
Cambie R.C. 1968: The depsides from Stereocaulon ramulosum (Sw.) Räusch. New Zealand Journal of Science 11: 48–53.
Galloway D.J. 1985: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens. Wellington: PD Hasselberg, Government Printer. 662 pp.
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.
Hickey B.J.; Lumsden A.J.; Cole A.L.J.; and Walker J.R.L. 1990: Antibiotic compounds from New Zealand plants: methyl haematommate, an anti-fungal agent from Stereocaulon ramulosum. New Zealand Natural Sciences 17: 49–53.