Leptogium cyanescens
Synonyms
Collema cyanescens
Family
Collemataceae
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 the corticolous (rarely saxicolous) habit; broad, rounded, unwrinkled lobes with a naked lower surface, and having laminal and marginal isidia. The isidia are terete, simple to coralloid and may occasionally be somewhat lobulate in parts, but never extensively phyllidiate.
Distribution
Kermadec Islands: (Raoul Island). North Island: Northland (Three Kings Island) to Wellington. South Island: Marlborough to Southland (Milford Sound). Stewart Island: (Moturau Moana). Chatham Islands. Campbell Island.
Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, North and South America, Socotra and Australia.
Habitat
On bark and twigs and among mosses, rarely on damp, mossy rocks or on damp soil, in shaded, humid lowland or coastal forest habitats, and on coastal rocks in northern parts of the country, s.l. to 400 m. It seems to be rare in southern New Zealand. It is epiphyic on the following phorophytes: Acer pseudoplatanus*, Aristotelia serrata, Beilschmiedia taraire, B. tawa, Cordyline australis, Corynocarpus laevigatus, Dracophyllum arboreum, Didymocheton spectabilis, Knightia excelsa, Kunzea, Leptospermum scoparium, Melicytus ramiflorus, Nestegis apetala, Fuscospora, Metrosideros excelsa, Myrsine australis, Pittosporum umbellatum, Plagianthus divaricatus, Podocarpus totara, Salix fragilis* and Pterophylla sylvicola.
Detailed description
Thallus lobate, flat, attached loosely to substrate by scattered tufts of hairs, spreading, orbicular to irregular, 1-5(-8) cm diam., greyish-blue to olive greenish, corticolous. Lobes orbicular, 2-4 mm wide, margins entire, wavy, ± ascending to dentate-isidiate. Upper surface smooth to occasionally slightly roughened, not wrinkled or plicate, isidiate. Isidia abundant, laminal, granular-furfuraceous, cylindrical to clavate to lobulate, often branching, concolorous with thallus. Lower surface glabrous, smooth, concolorous with upper surface or paler, to ± greyish-fawn. Apothecia rare, sessile, to subpedicellate, laminal, 0.5-2 mm diam., disc concave to convex, pale brown to red-brown, thalline exciple entire to isidiate, pale grey to fawn. Ascospores ellipsoid, apices rounded or pointed, 18-27 × 6-10 µm.
Similar taxa
The nature of the isidia distinguish it from L. oceanianum, which has consistently flattened phyllidia.
Substrate
Corticolous (bark)
Attribution
ATTRIBUTION
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (2 March, 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985) & Galloway (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.