Ramalina erumpens
Synonyms
Ramalina erumpens var. norstictica D.Blanchon
Family
Ramalinaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Fruticose
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
Brief description
Characterised by the corticolous habit; thalli to 4.5 cm tall; dichotomous branching; round or ellipsoid soralia with fibrils on margins.
Distribution
South Island: Canterbury, Otago (Otago Peninsula to Akatore), Southland (Invercargill, Clifden). Stewart Island: (Bird Island). Chatham Islands. Antipodes Islands.
Also known from Macquarie Island.
Habitat
On bark of Dacrycarpus dacrydioides, Dacrydium cupressinum, Fuchsia excorticata, Kunzea robusta, Melicytus, Fuscospora shrubs, and on rock.
Detailed description
Thallus erect to subpendulous, 1–4.5 cm long, attached by a delimited holdfast, dicotomously branched, corticolous. Lobes 0.5–2.0 mm wide, flat, broad at base and narrowing towards apices, apices furcate. Upper surface matt, yellow-green, breaking open at apices. Pseudocyphellae rare or absent. Soralia marginal and laminal, round to ellipsoidal, rimmed, producing fibrils. Apothecia not seen.
Chemistry: Three chemodemes present: (1) usnic and protocetraric acids; (2) usnic, norstictic, salazinic ±protocetraric acids; (3) usnic acid.
Similar taxa
The recently described species Ramalina coreana Kashiw. & K.H. is similar to R. erumpens, but has a chemistry of divaricatic acid and differs in the nature of the holdfast and the dimensions of the ascospores.
Substrate
Corticolous
Etymology
ramalina: Meaning small branches, twiggy.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (4 August 2022). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, Similar Taxa and Extra information sections copied from Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.