Ilk
I
VC7 i .
./■
Tribo V. S T E R E O C A U L E I Nyl. Alem. Soo. Chorb. iii.
(1855) p. 17(1.
Thallus cæspitoso, erect or decumbent, w ith solid fruticulose
podetia, to whieli arc affixed fragile, more or loss evanescent g ra nules,
usually bearing oephalodia, in ternally with, ohondroid axis.
Apotheoia lecideine, rarely lecanorine, torminal and lateral, paraphyses
discrete ; spores 8næ, sometimes 6næ, variously soptato, very
raroly solitary and m urali-divided, suhfiisiform, cylindrical or oblong,
colourless. Spermogones immersed, w ith simple sterigmata.
Though resembling the SphceropAorei in the fruticulose habit, this
tribe is far separated by the grauulose thallus and by the structure of the
apothecia. Erooi the preceding, to Avhich it is closely allied, it differs in
the absence of the thick subhymenial stratum. As observed by Nylander
(Lapp. Or. p. 177), it precedes, like the PUophorei, the Cladoniei, since
the granulose thallus expresses a lower type in the series.
29. STEREOCAULON Sclircb. Gen. PL (1791) p. 708 ; Nyl. Syu.
i. (18(30) p. 230.—Podetia branched, somewhat rounded, covered or
sprinkled Avith g ra nules
of various forms,
inte rn ally with a cartilaginous
axis formed
of longitudinal conglutin
a to choudrohyphæ,
to Avhich aro affixed
th e ex te rn al portions
of the thallus, viz. a
corticali-gonidial and
an arachnoid medullary
layer. Apothecia
biatorine, hlaokish-
brown or pale brown-
isli, ra re ly lecanorine,
black : hypothecium
colourless ; spores 8næ
or (înæ (in subolavate
theoæ), fusiformi-oylindrioal,
3- or pluri-septa
d
yrs JFig.
33.
Stereocaulon coralloides Fr.—a. Vertical section of
an apothecium, x30. h. Theca and paraphysis,
X350. 0 . Spores, x50Q. d. Vertical section
of a young spermogone, x30. e. Sterigmata,
and/, spermatia, X500.
te ; paraphyses distin
c t, slender or modera
te ; hymenial gelatine bluish with iodine. iSpermogones lateral
or subterminal in pale conceptacles, blackish a t th e apices, witli
spermatia aoiculari-haoillar, stra ig h t, or longer and slightly curved.
Alany plants belonging to this genus have an elegant appearance with
their fruticulose granulate podetia and numerous brown or dark apotliecia.
The podetia, especially in barren specimens, are sometimes whitish
sorediato-capitate. The apotbecia, ivliich arise from the granules, are at
first puuctiformi-iinpre.ssed, and then lecanoroid, becoming immediately
lecideine (biatorine). Our Brili.sh species, wliich belong to the subgenus
Eustei-eovaulon, have the tlialline reactionsK+yellow, C aC l-, except in
A coralloides, where the chondroid axis is X-|-yelloAV.
a. Thallus evanescent a t the base ; podetia branched ; oephalodia
sessile, glomeruliform or verruoose.
1. S. coralloides F r. L. Suec. Exs. (1817) n. 118 ; Sched. Crit.
iv. p. 24.—Thallus somewhat small or usually moderate ; podetia
cæspitosely united a t th e base, erect or ascending, branched, the
axis glabrous ; podetial granules digitatcly b ranched or suhflbrillose,
greyish. Apothecia moderate, terminal and lateral, a t length globose
and immarginate, brown or dark-rcddish ; spores 3- (rarely
5 -7 -) septate, fusiformi-oylindrioal, 0 ,0 0 2 2 -4 0 mm. long, 0 ,0 0 2 5 -
40 mm. thick.—Cromh. Lich. Brit. p. 16 ; Loight. Lich. F l. p. 77,
ed. 3, p. 09.—Stereocaulonpaschale ft. eorallinum Aludd, Alan. p. 65,
t. i. f. 14. Stereocaulon pasohale Gray, Nat. Arr. i. p. 41 L ; Hook.
Fl. Soot. ii. p. 66 ; Sm. Eng. El. v. p. 333 ; Tayl. in Alack. Fl. Hib.
ii. p. 83 ; Aludd, Alan. p. 65 ; Cromb. Lich. Brit. p. 17 pro pa rte ;
Loight. Lich. Fl. p>. 77 pro parte. L/lehen pascJialis Huds. Fl. Augl.
p. 400 pro pa rte ; Lightf. FL Scot. ii. p. 886 pro p a rte ; AVith. Arr.
cd. 3, iv. p. 44 pro parte ; Eng. Bot. t. 282. The above synonyms
show th a t this has been confounded with S. pa.schale.—B r it. E.vs. :
Leight. n. 148 ; Cromh. n. 119 ; Bohl. n. 14.
Readily distinguished by the mode of growth and the form of the
elegantly divided granules. The podetia are very closely' adnate to the
substratum, and the apothecia are numeroas. The cephalodia are greyish,
sometimes cæsio-greyish, opaque, verrucose, minutely granulate on tlie
surface, with the gonimia in gelatinous nodules. The spermogones are at
first simple, aftenvards compound, with the spermatia 0,005-0 mm. long,
0,001 mm. thick.
Hah. On rocks, boulders, and old v ails in upland and subalpine districts.—
Histr. General and common in the hilly and mountainous tracts
of Great Britain, rare in Ireland.—B. AI. : Uartmoor, Devonshire ;
between Arthur’s bed and AAVing Cheese, and near Helmintoii, Cornivall ;
Black Edge, Buxton, Derbyshire ; Abdon Burf and near Oswestry,
Shropshire ; Cader Idris and Dolgelly, Alerionetbsbire ; Teesdale, Durham
; near Stavely, Kendal, and Ambleside, AA'estmoreland ; AA’astdale,
Cumberland. New GalloAvay, Kirkcudbrightshire ; Leadhills, Lanarkshire
; Inverary and Appin, Argyleshire ; Ben Lawers, Blair Athole, and
Locli Raiuioch, Perthshire; Sidlaw Hills, Balgay AA^ood, and Glen Isla,
Forfarshire ; Craig Nich, Glen Callater, Glen Derrie, and Gleu Dee,
Braemar, Aberdeenshire ; near Forres, Elginshire ; Ben Nevis and Locli-
aber, Inverness-sbire ; hills of Applecross, Ross-sbire. Killarney, co.
Kerry; Connemara, co. Galv'ay.
2. S. Delisei Bory in Dub. Bot. Gall. ii. (1830) p. 619.—Thallus
small, podetia loosely cæspitose, b ranched, th e axis thinly arachnoid
or often naked ; podetial granules situated chiefly towards the
apices, crenate or digitatcly divided, whitish, piilverulento-dissolved,
sorediato-conglomerate on th e apices. Apotheoia unknown.—
Cromb. Journ. Bot. 1885, p. 195.—S . coralloides subsp S . Delisei
Nyl. Syn. i. p. 242, t. 7. f. 17.
The granules at first resemble those of S. coralloides, but at length
become pulverulent and sorediite at the apices. Our Britisli specimens,
which are without cephalodia, have the podetia scarcely 4 in. high, with