catillaria lichen of bark and shaded coastal rock
- Size
- Width: 1–5 cm
- Lifespan
- 10–50 years
- Diet
- Grows on bark of trees, rocks, and wood in damp, shaded forests. Requires clean air, stable bark or rock surfaces, and high humidity. Tolerates shade and moisture but cannot survive prolonged drought.
- Habitat
- Grows on bark of trees, rocks, and wood in damp, shaded forests. Found in humid, sheltered locations where the surface is stable and the air is clean.
- Range
- Found throughout the North and South Islands on bark of native trees in damp, undisturbed forests. Most common on smooth bark of beech and podocarp trees. Also found in temperate regions worldwide. Easily overlooked due to small size and subtle appearance.
- Endemism
- Native
- Main Threats
- None significant. This species is common but under-recorded. Requires old-growth forest with clean air and stable bark surfaces. Localised threats include forest clearance, air pollution, and bark disturbance.
- Population
- Not Threatened. Catillaria lichen is common and widespread in New Zealand, particularly on the smooth bark of native trees in damp, undisturbed forests. It is easily overlooked due to its small size and subtle appearance.
- Conservation Status
- Not Threatened
The one that you will miss if you blink has a body that is a thin, crusty layer that grows on the surface of the bark or rock, forming a pale greyish or brownish patch that blends perfectly with the substrate. The colour is so muted that it seems to disappear into the background. But if you look closely, with a hand lens, your nose almost touching the surface, you will see the tiny, dark, club-shaped fruiting bodies scattered across the crust like pinpricks of ink. It is the lichen of the subtle mark, the one that leaves its signature in dots.
What makes it special is the subtlety. Catillaria lichen is one of the most understated lichens in New Zealand. Its pale crust fades into the pale bark. Its dark fruiting bodies are smaller than a pinhead. It does not demand attention. It does not want to be seen. It is the lichen of the quiet presence, the one that goes unnoticed by all but the most patient observer, the one that rewards those who take the time to look.
The catillaria lichen is a crustose lichen, meaning it grows flat on the bark or rock, like a crust of paint, rather than upright or leafy. Its body is a smooth or slightly cracked crust, pale greyish-brown to greenish-grey. The fruiting bodies (apothecia) are small, black, and club-shaped, often with a raised rim. Under a hand lens, the apothecia are visible, tiny black clubs scattered across the pale surface.
Biologically, the catillaria lichen is a partnership, a fungus and an alga living together. The fungus provides structure and protection. The alga provides food through photosynthesis. The apothecia are the spore-producing structures, releasing spores into the air.
To find catillaria lichen is to find the tiny, dark dots on the pale bark. It is pale, subtle, and dotted, a quiet signature on the tree. You need a hand lens. You need patience. You need to press your face against the bark and look closely. It is the lichen of the subtle mark, the one that leaves its signature in pinpricks of ink, the one that proves that the most beautiful things are often the smallest and the most easily overlooked.