dermatocarpon lichen of wet rock faces and stream banks
- Size
- Width: 2–10 cm
- Lifespan
- 10–50 years
- Diet
- Grows on rocks and boulders in damp, shaded locations near streams and waterfalls. Requires clean air, stable rock surfaces, and high humidity. Tolerates shade and moisture but cannot survive prolonged drought.
- Habitat
- Grows on rocks and boulders in damp, shaded locations near streams and waterfalls. Found from sea level to alpine zone on native rock types.
- Range
- Found throughout the North and South Islands on rocks and boulders in damp, shaded locations near streams and waterfalls. Most common in the South Island's beech forests and the North Island's western ranges. Also found in temperate regions worldwide.
- Endemism
- Native
- Main Threats
- None significant. This species is common and widespread on damp rocks. Localised threats include quarrying of rock outcrops, stream modification, and climate change affecting water flow and rock moisture.
- Population
- Not Threatened. Dermatocarpon lichen is common and widespread in New Zealand, particularly on damp rocks in shaded, humid locations. It grows on native rock types, often near water.
- Conservation Status
- Not Threatened
The one that looks like a piece of leather stuck to the rock has a body that is leafy, with broad, rounded lobes that are thick and leathery. The colour is pale greyish-brown to olive-green when dry, dark green when wet. The lobes are closely attached to the rock, clinging so tightly that you cannot slip a fingernail underneath. It is the lichen of the leathery lobe, the one that looks like it has been glued to the stone.
What makes it special is the texture. Dermatocarpon lichen is one of the thickest and most leathery lichens in New Zealand. Its lobes are thick and tough, like a piece of rawhide or old leather. When it is dry, it is stiff and brittle. When it is wet, it becomes soft and pliable, almost like a wet leaf. It is the lichen of the tough skin, the one that can withstand the splash of the waterfall and the scrape of the stone, the one that is as tough as it looks.
The dermatocarpon lichen is a foliose lichen, meaning it grows in flat, leafy lobes that are attached to the substrate at points but not completely stuck down. The lobes are broad and rounded, often with a wavy or lobed margin. The upper surface is smooth and shiny when wet, dull and wrinkled when dry. The underside is pale, with a dense mat of rhizines, tiny, root-like structures that anchor it to the rock. Under a hand lens, the rhizines are visible, a dense mat of tiny threads.
Biologically, the dermatocarpon lichen is a partnership, a fungus and an alga living together. The fungus provides structure and protection. The alga provides food through photosynthesis. The dermatocarpon lichen is adapted to damp, shaded locations where other lichens struggle. Its thick, leathery lobes help it retain moisture and survive periods of drying.
To find dermatocarpon lichen is to find the leathery patch on the wet rock. It is pale, thick, and leathery, a living skin on the stone. You can touch it and feel the tough, leathery texture. It is the lichen of the leathery lobe, the one that clings close to the rock like a second skin, the one that proves that the toughest things are often the most flexible.