Stereocaulon vesuvianum
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 saxicolous/terricolous habit; the tight attachment to mainly volcanic rock substrata; the peltate phyllocladia with darker centres and pale margins; and the Pd+ orange reaction (atranorin, stictic and norstictic (±) acids).
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Little Barrier Island), Auckland (Waitakere Ranges, Rangitoto Island), South Auckland (Mt Moehau Coromandel Peninsula, Motuhora & Rurima Island, Mt Tarawera, Kaimanawa Range., Taupo), Taranaki (Mt Taranaki), Wellington (Ruapehu, Kapiti Island). South Island: Nelson (Waiau Pass, Island Saddle, Mt Technical Lewis Pass), Canterbury (Hills Peak, Mt Misery near Cass, Craigieburn Range).
Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Greenland, Iceland, Spitsbergen, Russia, Japan, China, United States, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Canary Is, Azores, Cape Verde Islands, West Africa, East Africa, Réunion, Hawai’i, and Australia.
Habitat
On volcanic soils, lava, more rarely on rocks in subalpine grassland, s.l. to 1500 m.
Detailed description
Thallus to 3.5 cm tall. Pseudopodetia simple or sparingly branched, tapering from base to apex, decorticate and rather pruinose. Phyllocladia on short, thick stems, rounded peltate, becoming warted-convolute with a prominent dark greenish-grey centre and pale margins, small and crowded at apices of pseudopodetia, larger and more dispersed towards base of pseudopodetia. Cephalodia ± sessile, infrequent, dark green, black or brown, rather amorphous, gelatinous, shining, clustered at base of phyllocladia towards base of pseudopodetia. Apothecia rare in New Zealand material, mainly at apices of pseudopodetia, to 1 mm diam., disc pale brown with a concolorous prominent margin when young, occluded at maturity. Ascospores 3-5(-6)-septate, (25-)30-50(-55) × 2.5-3.5 µm.
Chemistry: Thallus K+ yellow, C−, KC−, Pd+ orange; containing atranorin, stictic acid and ±norstictic acid.
Similar taxa
Similar to other members of this genus but distinguished by its peltate phyllocladia with darker centres and pale margins.
Substrate
Terricolous (volcanic soil, lava), rarely saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (27 February 2022). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985, 2007).
References and further reading
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.