Ramalina pollinaria grp.

Diane L. Haughland

Ramalina pollinaria group (Westr.) Ach., 1810

Common name	Chalky Ramalina	Code: RAMAPOL
Field Characters	Fruticose shrub-like to leaf-like erect chlorolichen. Usnic yellow, branching dichotomously. Branches flattened, solid, with marginal soralia and terminal, laminal, labriform soralia. Soredia farinose, typically in well-delimited soralia. Branch tips strap-shaped to finely dissected. Cortex ‘combed’ and striated, but lacking perforations. Highly variable – as described/keyed here, may represent more than one species. See notes under Molecular support below.
Similar species	Ramalina obtusata: hollow and perforate, soredia limited to lobe tips that may be lacerate, hooded, or labriform. Ramalina labiosorediata: soredia almost entirely terminal, forming large, irregular labriform soralia on strap-like branches.
Ecology	Common epiphyte on shrubs and trees across the boreal region. Sparse in the foothills, shield, and parkland natural regions of Alberta.
Chemistry	Cortex K-, KC+ yellow, PD-, UV- (usnic acid), medulla UV- or UV+ dull white (evernic acid, ±obtusatic acid).
Molecular support	Unpublished molecular data (Haughland et al., in prep) supports the presence of R. pollinaria in western North America, contrary to Gasparyan et al. 2012. In western North America we may have both R. pollinaria sensu stricto as well as the more recent segregate Ramalina labiosorediata Gasparyan, Sipman & Lücking. Both species appear to be present in the photogallery for R. pollinaria on Ways of Enlichenment. The morphotype most commonly found in Alberta corresponds to R. pollinaria, so here we use that taxonomy. More molecular work is needed.
Links	Alberta Biodiversity Browser Consortium of Lichen Herbaria Ways of Enlichenment Photo Gallery
Gallery