Ramalina inflexa
Synonyms
Cetraria inflata Hook.f. & Taylor, Fistulariella inflata (Hook. f. & Taylor) Bowler & Rundel
Family
Ramalinaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Fruticose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened
Brief description
Characterised by thalli forming pulvinate clumps on twigs; branches wide and fully inflated; apothecia terminal, concave to plane.
Distribution
South Island: (Christchurch, Dunedin). Auckland Islands. Campbell Island. Macquarie island.
Also in Australia and Tasmania [Tasmanian populations are rather different to New Zealand Subantarctic Island material – J. Bannister, pers. comm.], South Africa, Brazil and Venezuela – though not recorded from Venezuela by Marcano et al. 1996) and in the Pacific from Hawai’i, Bonin Island, and Western Samoa.
Habitat
Coastal and lowland on shrubs.
Detailed description
Thallus to 5 cm tall, sparsely dichotomously branching, branches to 3 mm broad, subterete, inflated, fistulose, rarely compressed, tips obtuse, surface shining, pale greenish-yellow, cartilaginous strands obvious, discontinuous, with large perforations or many small punctures, soredia and pseudocyphellae absent. Apothecia rather rare, terminal, 3-6 mm diam., subpedicellate, disc pale yellowish-glaucous, plane or convex, rarely concave. Ascospores 10-11 × 5-6 µm.
Chemistry: Usnic, divaricatic acids, ±sekikaic acid.
Similar taxa
Ramalina glaucescens is similar but has apothecia that are marginal, ± clustered towards apices of branches, geniculate, and discs that are concave to plane.
Substrate
Corticolous
Etymology
ramalina: Meaning small branches, twiggy.
Two additional subspecies are defined from Australian populations by Stevens, viz. R. inflata ssp. perpusilla (Stirt.) G.N.Stevens (Stevens 1987), and R. inflata ssp. australis G.N.Stevens (Stevens (1987), neither of which are yet recorded from New Zealand.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (4 August 2022). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Extra information sections copied from Galloway (1985, 2007).
References and further reading
Galloway D.J. 1985: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens. Wellington: PD Hasselberg, Government Printer. 662 pp.
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.
Stevens G.N. 1987: The lichen genus Ramalina in Australia. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Botany 16: 107-223.