| Ramalina celastri | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Ramalinaceae |
| Genus: | Ramalina |
| Species: | R. celastri |
| Binomial name | |
| Ramalina celastri | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
List
| |
Ramalina celastri is a species of corticolous and lignicolous (bark- and wood-dwelling), fruticose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. [2] It is a widespread species with a pantropical distribution.
The lichen was formally described as a new species in 1827 by Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel, as Parmelia celastri. The type specimen was collected by Christian Friedrich Ecklon in South Africa. Sprengel's species diagnosis outlined several key features of the lichen, including its growth form (tufted, erect, branched), colouration (pale yellowish), the nature of its branchlets (shortened, capillary-like), and details about its reproductive structures (somewhat flat, yellow scutellae with paler margins). It also specifies the habitat or substrate preference as growing on the branches of Celastrus pyracantha , to which the species epithet of the lichen alludes. [3] The species was transferred to the genus Ramalina by Hildur Krog and Thomas Douglas Victor Swinscow in 1976. [4]
Ramalina ovalis is sometimes given as a synonym of Ramalina celastri, [1] but molecular data strongly support its distinction as a unique species. [5]
In North America, a vernacular name used for the species is "palmetto lichen". This refers to the divergence of the branches from a single point, similar to a palmetto leaf. [6] In New Zealand, a common vernacular name is "cartilage lichen". [7]
Ramalina celastri typically forms a corticolous (growing on the bark of trees) thallus, which is the main body of the lichen, characterised by its rigid, erect to somewhat pendulous (hanging) structure that can reach up to 15 cm in length. The thallus emerges from an often broad base and has sparing to moderate branching. The branches have a colour ranging from straw-colored to pale green. These branches are solid and flattened, with a lanceolate (lance-shaped) form that can be either plane (flat) or slightly canaliculate (channelled). The width of these branches is quite variable, ranging from 1 to 20 mm, though they most commonly measure between 3 and 5 mm. Young branches are thin and more or less smooth, transitioning as they age to develop longitudinal or reticulately (net-like) ridged surfaces. These textures result from strands of cartilaginous tissue, and the branches often have holes or cracks. Short linear or irregular laminal pseudocyphellae (small pores in the thallus that allow for gas exchange), are commonly present but soralia, which are structures for asexual reproduction, are absent. [4]
Reproductive features of Ramalina celastri include numerous apothecia (fruiting bodies). These are predominantly found lateral and laminal (along the surface) on the thallus and are supported by a stipe (stalk). The disc of the apothecia may be flat or convex, surrounded by a smooth thalline exciple , which is the rim of tissue around the disc. The spores measure 4–7 by 11–16 μm. Ramalina celastri lacks any medullary substances as confirmed by thin-layer chromatography. [4] The only secondary metabolite (lichen product) it contains reliably is usnic acid; [6] atranorin is an accessory substance , meaning that it is sometimes present, sometimes not present. [8]
In Argentina, Ramalina celastri has been used in passive biomonitoring studies as a bioaccumulator of atmospheric deposition. These studies have associated high zinc content in the thallus with high levels of motor vehicle traffic and industrial and agricultural activity. [9] [10] [11]
Ramalina celastri is widely distributed in tropical areas of the world. It grows on bark and on wood, and is found on trees, shrubs, and wooden posts, [12] it has also been noted to occasionally grows on rocks. [6] It is typically found in the warmer and more humid regions of Australia, specifically in New South Wales and Queensland, as well as in northern New Zealand. In New Zealand, the rock-dwelling forms of Ramalina celastri on the North Island, found exclusively within coastal environments, showed distinct morphological differences from their tree-dwelling counterparts, characterised by a more robust structure with wider and longer thalli. Additionally, in cross-section, the medulla of saxicolous specimens was found to be thicker. [5] In East Africa, the lichen is common and widespread at elevations between 800 and 3,400 m (2,600 and 11,200 ft). [12] It is less common in Brazil than in other tropical countries. [8] Ramalina celastri has also been recorded from India. [13] Its range in North America extends north to southern Texas. [6]
Ramalina is a genus of greenish fruticose lichens that grow in the form of flattened, strap-like branches. Members of the genus are commonly called strap lichens or cartilage lichens. Apothecia are lecanorine.
Hildur Krog was a Norwegian botanist.
Niebla homalea is a species of fruticose lichen that grows on rocks in foggy areas along the Pacific Coast of North America, from Mendocino County, California south to Bahía de San Quintín on the main peninsula of Baja California, with an isolated occurrence further south on vertical rock faces above Punta Camachos, and other occurrences in the Channel Islands and on Guadalupe Island. The epithet homalea, given by Acharius, suggests it was in regard to the branches appearing flattened.
Vermilacinia laevigata is a fruticose lichen that occurs in the fog zone along the Pacific Coast of the California Floristic Province from Marin County, California to 15 miles south of Misión San Vicente Ferrer in Baja California.
Parmotrema apricum is a species of corticolous lichen in the family Parmeliaceae that is found in Africa. It was originally placed in the genus Parmelia by authors Hildur Krog and Dougal Swinscow in 1981. The holotype collection was made in the Machakos County, north of Kibwezi town in Kenya, where it was found growing on shrubs in a sun-exposed dry location. Two laters later, the authors transferred it to the genus Parmotrema.
Hypogymnia imshaugii, commonly known as the forked tube lichen, is a common species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It was formally described as a new species by Norwegian botanist Hildur Krog in 1968. It has a grey to gray-green thallus with slender lobes measuring up to 2 mm wide that are branched dichotomously at regular intervals. It has cup- to disc-shaped apothecia that are constricted at the base. The lichen grows on conifer branches, preferring inland habitats that are moderately dry.
Punctelia punctilla is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in Africa, South America, and North America, where it grows on bark and on rocks. The main characteristics that distinguish Punctelia punctilla from other species of Punctelia are the presence of isidia on the thallus surface, a pale brown thallus undersurface, and the presence of lecanoric acid in the medulla.
Punctelia hypoleucites, commonly known as the southwestern speckled shield lichen, is a species of foliose (leafy) lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. First formally described by Finnish botanist William Nylander as a species of Parmelia, it was transferred to the genus Punctelia in 1982. The lichen is found in Africa, North America, and South America, where it grows on the bark of both hardwood and coniferous trees. Its greenish-grey thallus is covered with tiny white pseudocyphellae – minute holes in the thallus surface that facilitate gas exchange. Some macroscopic features that help distinguish this species from other related members of the genus include the presence and the structure of the apothecia, the absence of asexual surface propagules, and the light brown color of the thallus undersurface. Chemically, the presence of lecanoric acid in the medulla and atranorin in the cortex help distinguish it from lookalikes.
Punctelia graminicola is a species of foliose (leafy) lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It grows on rocks, and, less frequently, on bark in North America, South America, and East Africa. It has a blue-grey thallus measuring up to about 15 cm (6 in), covered with tiny pores called pseudocyphellae. Sometimes the lichen forms small lobes that project out from the surface. Fruiting bodies are uncommon in this species; if present, they resemble small cups with a brown internal disc measuring 3–10 mm (0.1–0.4 in) in diameter. A lookalike species, Punctelia hypoleucites, is not readily distinguishable from Punctelia graminicola by appearance or habitat alone; these species can only be reliably differentiated by examining the length of their conidia.
Ramalina erosa is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. It was described as a new species by Hildur Krog in 1990. The type specimen was collected from Pico do Facho on Porto Santo Island (Portugal), where it was found growing on acidic rock at an elevation of 500 m (1,600 ft).
Punctelia microsticta is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It occurs in Brazil and Argentina, where it grows on bark.
Ramalina americana, commonly known as the sinewed ramalina, is a pale green fruticose lichen that is found across the Northern US Midwest, extending into Southern Canada and the Eastern Seaboard. It is characterized morphologically by the presence of pseudocyphellae, straight spores, and its unique chemical diversity.
Pyxine lyei is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Caliciaceae. Found in East Africa, it was scientifically described as a new species in 1975 by lichenologists Dougal Swinscow and Hildur Krog. The lichen has a whitish thallus that is tightly appressed to its substrate. The lobes comprising the thallus are flat, and have faint pseudocyphellae as well as patches of pruina. The thallus underside is black; the internal medulla is white. The lichen contains triterpenoid compounds as well as lichexanthone; the latter substance causes the lichen to fluoresce when lit with a long-wavelength UV light.
Pyxine katendei is a species of corticolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Caliciaceae. Found in East Africa, it was scientifically described as a new species in 1975 by lichenologists Dougal Swinscow and Hildur Krog. The lichen has a whitish to pale grey thallus that is tightly appressed to its substrate. The lobes comprising the thallus are somewhat convex; they lack pseudocyphellae, and have sparse pruina. The thallus underside is black; the internal medulla is white. The lichen contains triterpenoid compounds as well as lichexanthone; the latter substance causes the lichen to fluoresce when lit with a long-wavelength UV light.
Pyxine lilacina is a rare species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Caliciaceae. Found in East Africa, it was scientifically described as a new species in 1975 by lichenologists Dougal Swinscow and Hildur Krog. The lichen has a brownish-grey to lilac-grey thallus that is tightly appressed to its substrate. The lobes comprising the thallus are flat, and have pseudocyphellae as well as patches of pruina. The thallus underside is black; the internal medulla is white. The lichen contains triterpenoid compounds as well as lichexanthone; the latter substance causes the lichen to fluoresce when lit with a long-wavelength UV light.
Ramalina peruviana is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae with a pantropical distribution. The lichen was first formally described by Erik Acharius in 1810, who wrote of its flat, compressed, branching thallus with narrow, undulating branches. It typically occurs on the bark of trees (corticolous) although occasionally it grows on rocks (saxicolous). Ramalina peruviana is widely distributed, found in subtropical and warm temperate regions across several continents. It has been recorded in diverse locations such as Pacific Islands, the southern United States, East Africa, Asia, Australasia, and South America. Its presence has been documented in specific habitats like mangroves in Australia and on certain tree species in Taiwan and China, where it thrives at higher elevations.
Dirinaria picta is a species of lichen within the family Caliciaceae, classified under the order Caliciales in the class Lecanoromycetes of the division Ascomycota.
Dufourea africana is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It occurs in Kenya and Uganda.
Ramalina darwiniana is a species of strap lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. Found only in the Galápagos Islands, it was first described in 2007 and named in honour of Charles Darwin's work on the archipelago's biodiversity. This shrub-like lichen grows up to 15 centimetres wide and is typically found on tree bark or wood in coastal and arid areas of the islands. It is characterised by its greenish-grey colour, grooved branches that often curl at the tips, and the occasional presence of small holes where branches fuse together. R. darwiniana reproduces through cup-shaped structures called apothecia and can be identified by its chemical reaction to potassium hydroxide solution, which turns its inner layer orange-yellow then red. The species is well-adapted to the harsh, dry conditions of its native habitat and is often abundant where it grows.
Ramalina sideriza is a species of strap lichen in the family Ramalinaceae, first described by German lichenologist Alexander Zahlbruckner in 1911 from Hawaiian specimens. It has since been identified in the Galápagos Islands, where it is a common epiphyte in coastal and arid zones. This shrubby lichen is characterised by its flattened thallus lobes with curled tips, a striate surface with distinct parallel ridges, and smooth apothecia. While primarily growing on bark or wood, it occasionally occurs on rocks. The species can be distinguished from similar Ramalina species by its unique morphology and chemical composition, including the presence of salazinic acid in its medulla.