velvet shield lichen with a soft dark surface on shaded rock
- Size
- Width: 5–15 cm
- Lifespan
- 10–50 years
- Diet
- Grows on bark of trees, rocks, and wood in damp, shaded forests. Requires clean air, stable bark surfaces, and high humidity. Forms velvety, shield-like lobes that are pale greyish-green to brownish-green.
- Habitat
- Grows on bark of trees, rocks, and fence posts in open, sunny locations. Found from sea level to the montane zone, particularly where the bark is rough and the air is clean. The lichen of the soft surface, the one that looks and feels like velvet.
- Range
- Found throughout the North and South Islands on bark of trees, rocks, and wood in damp, shaded forests. 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 in damp, undisturbed forests. Localised threats include forest clearance, air pollution, and climate change reducing forest floor humidity.
- Population
- Not Threatened. This is a common and widespread lichen in New Zealand, particularly in the North Island and the northern South Island. It grows on the bark of native and introduced trees, on rocks, and on fence posts.
- Conservation Status
- Not Threatened
The one that looks like it is wearing a coat has a body that is leafy and grey, pale grey to bluish-grey, sometimes with a hint of green. The lobes are narrow and rounded, often overlapping like the fingers of a hand. But the lobes are not flat like other shield lichens. They are inflated, hollow and puffed up, like tiny balloons or the fingers of a glove. The surface is soft and velvety, with a muted, smoky tone. It is the lichen of the soft touch, the one that feels as good as it looks, the one that makes you want to stroke it.
What makes it special is the texture. The velvet shield lichen is one of the softest lichens in New Zealand. Its lobes are hollow and inflated, filled with air like a cushion. The surface is covered in a fine, velvety fuzz, a layer of tiny hairs that gives it a soft, muted appearance. When you touch it, it feels like velvet, like felt, like a soft fabric. It is the lichen of the caress, the one you want to stroke, the one that makes you forget you are touching a fungus.
The lobes are narrow and often branching, forming dense, spreading mats on the bark. The tips of the lobes are often blackened or dark, a distinctive feature of the species. The underside is black and wrinkled, with a sparse mat of rhizines, tiny, root-like structures that anchor it to the bark. Under a hand lens, the velvety surface is visible, a dense mat of tiny hairs.
Biologically, the velvet shield lichen is a partnership, a fungus and an alga living together. The fungus provides structure and protection. The alga provides food through photosynthesis. The inflated lobes are an adaptation to dry conditions, allowing the lichen to store moisture and survive in exposed, sunny locations.
To find velvet shield lichen is to find the soft grey patch on the bark. It is leafy, puffed, and velvety, a living cushion on the tree. You can run your finger over the surface and feel the softness, the velvet texture. It is the lichen of the soft touch, the one that feels as good as it looks, the one that proves that even lichens can be luxurious.