Flora of New Zealand Series

=Stereocaulon detergens Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel.: 16 (1888).

≡Stereocaulon corticatulum var. detergens (Nyl.) Müll.Arg., Bull. Herb. Boissier 2, App. 1: 22 (1894).

=Stereocaulon corticatulum var. complanatum I.M.Lamb, J. Hattori Bot. Lab. 43: 289 (1977).

Holotype: New Zealand. Wellington "on rocks Mt Tarahi and Cape Palliser", W. Colenso 5144 – H-NYL 40026. Isotypes – BM, WELT.

Stereocaulon detergens. Holotype: New Zealand. Sine loco, ex Herb. Jones 1867 – H-NYL 40025.

Stereocaulon corticatulum var. complanatum. Holotype: New Zealand. Otago, Taieri Mouth, on coastal rock face, 1958, J. Murray 1421 – FH. Isotype – OTA 057308.

Description : Flora (1985: 546).

Chemistry : Thallus K+ yellow, C−, KC− Pd−; containing; atranorin, rangiformic and norrangiformic acids.

N: Northland (Three Kings Is, Waipoua River, Little Barrier I., Great Barrier I., Helena Bay), Auckland (Anawhata, Waitakere Ra., Cornwall Park, Rangitoto), South Auckland (Red Mercury I., Motutapere Coromandel Peninsula, Te Aroha, Slipper I.), Gisborne (Lake Waikaremoana), Hawke's Bay (Kaweka Ra.), Wellington (Ruapehu, Kapiti I., Tararua Ra., Hutt Valley, Somes I., Puketoi Ra., Cape Palliser). S: Nelson (Lake Rotoiti), Marlborough (d'Urville I., Mt Stokes), Canterbury (Mt Trovatore, Arthur's Pass, Waimakariri River, Hawdon River), Otago (Lake Ohau, Poolburn Reservoir, Lake Onslow, Lee Stream, Flagstaff, Mt Cargill, Abbott's Hill), Southland (Secretary I., Mt Burns, Borland Lodge, Grebe Valley, Monowai). St: (Mt Anglem, Mt Allen, Tin Ra., Magog, Cooks Arm, Islet Cove Port Pegasus). C: On rocks and stony debris, from exposed, subalpine grassland to deep shade in forest, s.l. to 2100 m, rarely on bitumen pavement. Orwin (1970) discussed lichen succession on recently deposited rock surfaces in several sites in the Southern Alps, and records that for some rock surfaces exosed for 29–40 years, at 20 years exposure 14% of the lichen cover was provided by S. corticatulum, with a 98% cover of the 40-year-old surface. Known also from South and East Africa, South America, Tristan da Cunha, Gough I., South Africa, Chile, Argentina, and Australia (Lamb 1955, 1977; Jørgensen 1977; Swinscow & Krog 1988; Galloway & Quilhot 1999; Calvelo & Liberatore 2001; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Austral

Illustrations : Martin & Child (1972: 120, pl. 32); Lamb (1976: fig. 3); Galloway (1980b: 269, fig. 6; 270, fig. 7).

Stereocaulon corticatulum is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; rather small pseudopodetia, 2–3 cm tall (rarely to 6 cm tall), branched in upper parts; the cortex continuous or in flaky patches; sparsely developed, sorediate phyllocladia; granular, effuse, white soredia, present on most parts of thallus, in part derived from breakdown of phyllocladia; and a chemistry of atranorin, rangiformic and norrangiformic acids.