Yarrumia colensoi
Synonyms
Lobaria colensoi, Lobaria colensoi f. pinnatifida, Pseudocyphellaria colensoi, Pseudocyphellaria neozelandica, Sticta colensoi, Sticta colensoi f. pinnatifida, Sticta colensoi var. pinnatifida, Sticta urvillei var. colensoi
Family
Lobariaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Characterised by linear-elongate to broadly rounded lobes, with irregular notched, ragged and often deeply incised margins; an undulate, pitted to reticulate-faveolate upper surface with marginal and laminal isidia scattered in groups or lines on ridges and thallus breaks; flattened, bifurcate to coralloid, verruciform-granular isidia abrading apically and appearing yellow; a yellow medulla; a green photobiont; a wrinkled to bullate, thinly tomentose lower surface with scattered yellow pseudocyphellae; large, pedicellate apothecia with eroded-isidiate margins; colourless to brown, 1–3-septate ascospores, 27–41 × 9–11 μm; and a chemistry dominated by stictanes giving a yellow acetone extract. It may be parasitised by the lichenicolous fungus Scutula miliaris (q.v.). Extremely large specimens are known (to 30 cm diam.), and it is widely used for craft dyeing.
Distribution
North Island: Auckland (Rangitoto Island) S to Wellington. South Island: Nelson to Southland, both E and W of the Main Divide, coastal and inland. Stewart Island: (Mt Anglem to Port Pegasus). Known also from E New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania
Habitat
A common epiphyte of trees and shrubs in a variety of habitats, e.g. northern coastal forest, lowland podocarp-hardwood forest, upland beech Nothofagus [Fuscospora] forest, Leptospermum scrub, and lowland to subalpine scrub, s.l. to 1500 m. Although most luxuriantly developed on tree trunks, it also colonises twigs and small branches. Preferring medium-to-high light intensities it is thus best developed in open rainforests, at forest margins, and in the forest canopy.
Detailed description
Thallus orbicular to spreading often ± pendulous, 8-20(-30) cm diam. Lobes rounded to linear-enlongate, 10-25 mm wide, to 12 cm long, ± irregularly incised, margins often notched or crenulate, ± ragged or with coarse to verruciform-granular to flattened isidia. Upper surface bright green or yellowish-green or tinged pale bluish-green when wet, pale greenish-grey when dry, slightly undulate to very shallowly faveolate, matt or glossy, minutely scabrid-areolate (×10 lens), occasionally cracked, lacerate, isidiate. Isidia coarse, verruciform-granular or subcoralloid, abraded at apices and exposing yellow, medulla, appearing ± sorediate, marginal and laminal. Medulla yellow. Photobiont green. Lower surface thinly white-tomentose, ± bullate, pale yellowish-buff. Cephalodia in prominent rounded warts. Pseudocyphellae numerous, yellow, crowded, raised in verrucae, 0.1-0.2 mm diam. Apothecia sparse to frequent, 2-10 mm diam., pedicellate, laminal, rarely marginal, disc red-brown, concave to plane, matt, often fissured, with eroded, verruciform-isidiate margins, thalline exciple prominent, pale, verrucose-areolate. Ascospores 1-3-septate, colourless, fusiform-ellipsoid (30-)34-40 × 8-11 µm.
Chemistry: Pulvinic acid, pulvinic dilactone, calycin, polporic acid, 2α,3β,22α-triacetoxystictane, 22α-hydroxystictane-3-one, 2α,3β-diacetoxystictane-22-ol, stictane-3β,22α-diol, 2α-acetoxystictane-3β,22α-diol, 3β-acetoxystictane-2α,22α-diol and stictane-2α,3β,22α-triol.
Similar taxa
It is distinguished from Yarrumia coronata and Podostictina degelii by the marginal and laminal verruciform-granular isidia and by the ragged, linear-laciniate lobes.
Substrate
Corticolous (bark)
Etymology
colensoi: Named after William Colenso (7 November 1811 - 10 February 1899) who was a Cornish Christian missionary to New Zealand, and also a printer, botanist, explorer and politician.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (2 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.