dots the damp undisturbed forest bark
- Size
- Width: 5–15 cm
- Lifespan
- 20–50 years
- Diet
- Photosynthetic symbiosis with nitrogen fixation. Requires clean air, stable bark surfaces, and high humidity in damp forests.
- Habitat
- Grows on bark of trees, mossy rocks, and rotting logs in damp, undisturbed forests. Found in humid, sheltered locations.
- Range
- Found throughout the North and South Islands on bark of trees, mossy rocks, and rotting logs. Endemic to New Zealand.
- Endemism
- Endemic
- Main Threats
- None significant. This species is common in damp, undisturbed forests. Localised threats include forest clearance, air pollution, and climate change.
- Population
- Not Threatened. The sticta lichen is common in damp, undisturbed forests throughout New Zealand, particularly in beech forests and western ranges.
- Conservation Status
- Not Threatened
- Human Risk
- harmless
- Handling Note
- foliose lichen, safe to handle
- Conservation Note
- Endemic lichen; not assessed by NZTCS as lichens are generally outside the scope of current threat classifications.
- Te Ao Māori
- No recorded Māori name distinguishes the sticta lichen from other lichens. Lichens were generally called pūkohu (mosses and lichens) or pukorokoro (crustose lichens). The soft, velvety texture would have been noticed. It looked like the skin of a bird, like the fur of an animal, but no distinct name survives. The sticta lichen was sometimes used as a dressing for wounds. The soft, flexible lobes were applied to cuts and burns to stop bleeding and promote healing.
You want to touch it. Sticta latifrons has a body that is leafy and broad. Large, rounded lobes spread across the bark or rock like a crumpled piece of velvet. The colour is a pale greyish-green to brownish-green when dry. Bright green when wet. The surface is soft and velvety. Almost like suede or fine leather. It is the lichen of the soft touch. The one that feels as good as it looks. The one that invites you to reach out and stroke it.
What makes it special is the texture. The sticta lichen is one of the softest lichens in New Zealand. Its upper surface is covered in a fine, velvety fuzz. A layer of tiny hairs gives it a soft, suede-like feel. When you touch it, it feels like soft fabric. Like the skin of a fruit. Like something that should not be growing on a rock. It is the lichen of the caress. The one you want to stroke. The one that rewards a gentle touch.
The sticta lichen is a foliose lichen. It grows in flat, leafy lobes. They are attached to the substrate at points but not completely stuck down. The lobes are broad and rounded. Often with a wavy or ruffled margin. The underside is pale. It has a network of raised, branching veins. This is a distinctive feature of the Sticta genus. Under a hand lens, the veins are visible. A delicate network on the pale underside.
Biologically, the sticta lichen is a partnership. A fungus, a green alga, and a cyanobacterium living together. The fungus provides structure and protection. The green alga provides food through photosynthesis. The cyanobacterium provides nitrogen through fixation. It is a three-way partnership. A tiny ecosystem on the bark of an old tree.
To find sticta lichen is to find the soft, velvety patch on the bark. It is pale, leafy, and soft. A living piece of suede on the tree. You can run your finger over the surface. You feel the soft, velvety texture. It is the lichen of the soft touch. The one that feels as good as it looks. The one that proves that even the oldest things can be beautiful.
No recorded Māori name distinguishes the sticta lichen from other lichens. Lichens were generally called pūkohu or pukorokoro. The soft, velvety texture would have been noticed. It looked like the skin of a bird. Like the fur of an animal. No distinct name survives. The sticta lichen was sometimes used as a dressing for wounds. The soft, flexible lobes were applied to cuts and burns. They stopped bleeding and promoted healing.