Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lichen croceus L., Sp. pl. 2: 1149 (1753).

Descriptions : Flora (1985: 528). See also Galloway (1998b: 139).

Chemistry : Thallus and medulla K+ purple; containing methyl gyrophorate, gyrophoric acid, solorinic acid, norsolorinic acid and solorinine.

S: Nelson (Waiau Pass), Westland (Copland Ridge), Canterbury (Craigieburn Ra., Torlesse Ra., Mt Hutt, Mt Peel, Malte Brun Ra., Lower Godley Valley), Otago (Young Valley, Arawata Saddle, Mt Sisyphus, E. Matukituki, Treble Cone, Cascade Basin upper Dart Valley, Hunter Valley, St Bathans Ra., Pisa Ra., Dunstan Mts, The Remarkables, Hector Mts, Garvie Mts, Old Woman Ra., Old Man Ra., Rock & Pillar Ra.), Southland (Mt Burns, Hunter Mts). In cushion fellfield and herbfield, 1250–2000 m, on exposed soil, on tops of soil hummocks or stripes and in open, windswept rock pavements, or on shingle ledges. Less commonly it grows in sheltered hollows of soil hummocks or in the lee and at the base of solifluction lobes. As in the Arctic, it prefers disturbed habitats with little competition from other lichens or alpine plants. New Zealand records are the only positively identified Southern Hemisphere populations. Elsewhere, S. crocea occurs in the Northern Hemisphere as an arctic-alpine lichen; circumboreal lichens being known from tundra, soil crust communities and snow banks in Great Britain, Scandinavia, Greenland, Iceland the Faroes, Europe, the Carpathians, Urals, Tibet, United States, Canada and the Aleutian Is (Purvis et al. 1992; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Goward et al. 1994b; Hansen 1995, 2001; Hafellner & Türk 2001; Brodo et al. 2001; Fryday 2001a, 2001b; Türk & Gärtner 2001; Coppins 2002b; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004; Obermayer 2004).

Bipolar

Illustrations : Brightman & Nicolson (1966: 65); Martin & Child (1972: 120, pl. 32); Jahns (1980: 229); Moberg & Holmåsen (1982: 179); Thomson (1984: 387); Vitt et al. (1988: 228); Dobson (1992: 313); Goward et al. (1994b: 125, fig. 1A); Jørgensen et al. (1994a: 301, fig. 22); Wirth (1995b: 10); Hansen (1995: 59); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 109, 118); McCune & Geiser (1997: 268); Gilbert (2000: pl. 13A); Malcolm & Malcolm (2000: 56); Purvis (2000: 69); Brodo et al. (2001: 655, pl. 800).

Solorina crocea is characterised by: the terricolous habit; its broadly lobed, rather thick, olive-greenish brown thallus (greyish or whitish when dry in very exposed habitats); and the characteristic orange, veined-ridged lower surface (K+ purple).