Sticta latifrons A.Rich.
S. latifrons var. ochroleuca Church. Bab., Fl. N.Z. 2: 277 (1855).
S. menziesii var. palmata Krempelh., Reise Oest. Freg. Novara Bot. 1: 118 (1870), tab. XV.
S. menziesii var. dissecta Krempelh., Reise Oest. Freg. Novara Bot. 1: 119 (1870), tab. XVI.
S. internectens Nyl., Lich. N.Z.: 32 (1888).
S. nervosa Taylor ex Dodge, Nova Hedwigia 19: 469 (1971).
S. philipsonii Dodge, Nova Hedwigia 19: 470 (1971).
Lectotype: New Zealand. Astrolabe Harbour (Kaiteriteri, Nelson). ?Lesson, PC-THURET! An excellent colour plate of the type is given in the Astrolabe Atlas, tab. 8, fig. 2.
S. menziesii. Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco (prob. Dusky Sound 1791, the annotation on the sheet is in Menzies' hand). A. Menzies, BM!
S. latifrons var. ochroleuca. Type: New Zealand. Sine loco. ?BM - not seen.
S. menziesii var. palmata. Type: New Zealand. Auckland Drury, Jelinek and Hochstetter, M - not seen.
S. menziesii var. dissecta. Type: New Zealand. Sine loco, Schwarz, M - not seen.
S. internectens. Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco. Comm. F. v. Mueller ex Herb. Krempelh., M 401/31!
S. nervosa. Holotype: New Zealand. Sine loco. J.D. Hooker, FH!
S. philipsonii. Holotype: New Zealand. Canterbury, along road to Arthur (sic) Pass. On Nothofagus. C.W. Dodge 61-A-10, Herb. Dodge - not seen.
Thallus distinctly stalked, lobate-expanded, frond-like above, attached to substrate by a well-developed, root-like holdfast, to 25 cm tall. Stalk ± terete, brown or blackened. Lobes rather variable, thin or thick, tough, leathery when wet, often rather brittle when dry, flabellate, palmate, margins entire, sinuous, slightly notched, occasionally lacerate or ragged, often secondarily lobulate with non-stalked individuals at centre. Upper surface ± smooth, coriaceous, uneven or minutely roughened, slightly faveolate towards base, colour variable, bright-green, olive-green or brownish to ± blackened. Medulla white. Lower surface pale brown or buff, rarely whitish, to dark brownish-black, ± entirely glabrous to uniformly tomentose, tomentum rather short, pale buff to dark brown. Cyphellae numerous, scattered, urceolate with a raised margin, pit flat, pale buff or whitish, 0.2-5.0 mm diam. Apothecia scattered, mainly towards margins, small at periphery, larger, to 5 mm diam., towards centre, disc orange-yellow to red-brown, shining, plane or subconvex, margins entire, crenulate, sometimes excluded, pale whitish, thalline exciple minutely scabrid. Ascospores fusiform, straight or slightly curved, colourless, simple or 1- to 3- septate, rarely 4-5-septate, (20-)22-37 × 5-10(-12) µm.
N: North Auckland (Three Kings Is) to Wellington. S: Nelson to Southland. St: A: Widespread throughout, common, s.l. to 1000 m, coastal and inland. A conspicuous and often richly developed epiphyte of trees and shrubs, rarely on rocks in deep shade in humid localities.
Endemic
S. latifrons is characterised by its robust holdfast, thick, terete, supporting stalk, and large, thick, coriaceous, entire-margined lobes and the red-brown, scattered apothecia. It is the largest and most robust stalked species of the genus in New Zealand (and probably elsewhere) and it is certainly the most commonly collected. Handsome coloured illustrations of it are given in Richard [ Voy. Astrolabe Bot. Atlas, tab. 8, fig. 2 (1833)] and in Babington [ loc. cit., tab. CXXII].
It is a rather variable species, both in terms of size of mature plants and in the colour of the lower surface. Babington ( loc. cit., p. 277) writes of it "... a well marked species, but varying in colour, and in the length of the stem, which is sometimes almost obsolete. It is possible to select specimens of var. ochroleuca and var. menziesii which look very different, but an inspection of a numerous suite will convince any one that there are no limits whatever between them...".
Specimens from Fiordland and from Stewart I., have a predominantly pale lower surface and thin, rather fragile lobes which arise directly from the holdfast and may eventually be given separate designation. Dendriscocaulon with attached lobules of S. latifrons are occasionally met with (see James and Henssen, loc. cit. ).
