Ramalina

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Genus of lichen-forming fungi

title: "Ramalina" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["ramalina", "lecanorales-genera", "lichen-genera", "taxa-described-in-1809", "taxa-named-by-erik-acharius"] description: "Genus of lichen-forming fungi" topic_path: "general/ramalina" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramalina" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of lichen-forming fungi ::

| image = Ramalina fraxinae ascocarp.JPG | image_caption = Ramalina fraxinea | taxon = Ramalina | authority = Ach. (1809) | type_species = Ramalina fraxinea | type_species_authority = (L.) Ach. (1810) | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text | synonyms_ref = | synonyms = *Alectoriopsis Elenkin (1929)

  • Chlorodictyon J.Agardh (1870)
  • Dievernia M.Choisy (1931)
  • Fistulariella Bowler & Rundel (1977)
  • Platisma P.Browne ex Adans. (1763)
  • Platysma Hill (1773)
  • Ramalinomyces E.A.Thomas ex Cif. & Tomas. (1953)
  • Trichoramalina Rundel & Bowler (1974)
  • Vermilacinia Spjut & Hale (1995)

Ramalina is a genus of greenish fruticose lichens that grow in the form of flattened, strap-like branches. or cartilage lichens. Apothecia are lecanorine.

It is in the family Ramalinaceae and in the suborder Lecanorineae.

Description

The genus Ramalina consists of shrubby (fruticose) lichens that often appear tufted, ranging from erect to hanging () forms. The of the thallus, which is the body of the lichen, typically emerge from a well-defined or more spread-out holdfast—a structure that anchors the lichen to its substrate. In rare cases, these lichens can be free-living, unattached to any surface. The branches within the thallus can vary from singular to many, and their branching pattern may be either regularly forked (dichotomous) or more irregular. These branches are commonly compressed and strap-shaped, although they can occasionally be rounded or symmetrical when viewed in cross-section. Some species may have channels, and a few can even develop window-like openings (fenestrations) or small, wart-like structures called . In addition, the surface may be smooth or display ridges.

The outer layer of the thallus, the , is typically thin and sometimes indistinct. Beneath the cortex lies a well-developed, cylindrical layer of interwoven fungal filaments hyphae), which is absent in species like Ramalina lacera. The inner side of this layer is often invaded by the , where the symbiotic algae reside. The algal partner in Ramalina lichens belongs to the group. The medulla, a loosely packed layer of hyphae beneath the photobiont, is usually airy and web-like () but can be denser or even absent in hollow branches.

Soralia—structures that produce asexual reproductive granules—are commonly found in Ramalina species. These granules can sometimes resemble tiny isidia, which are small, vegetative reproductive outgrowths. The reproductive structures where sexual reproduction occurs (), are usually short-stalked and located at or near the tips of the branches, often on the curved sections. The apothecia may range from concave to flat or convex as they age, with colours varying from pale yellow to pale green, brown, or pinkish-yellow, and sometimes covered with a white powdery coating (). The edge of the apothecium, called the , is usually present and may persist or become almost unnoticeable over time.

The asci, which are the spore-producing cells within the apothecia, are elongated and club-shaped, typically containing eight spores. These spores are one-septate, meaning they have a single division, and are broadly ellipsoidal or kidney-shaped, remaining colourless. Ramalina also produces asexual reproductive structures called , which are tiny, flask-shaped bodies with an opening (ostiole) that may be pale or darkened. The cells within these pycnidia that generate (asexual spores) are generally cylindrical, and the conidia themselves are rod-shaped, colourless, and without internal divisions (aseptate).

Chemically, Ramalina lichens often contain usnic acid, a compound that gives them a yellowish-green hue, along with various other substances, including depsides, depsidones, and aliphatic compounds. Lichen spot tests on the cortex are K−, C−, KC+ dark yellow, and P−.

Photobionts

Studies of diversity in Ramalina species have shown that they primarily associate with green algae from the genus Trebouxia. Research on Macaronesian Ramalina species found that they commonly partner with Trebouxia sp. TR9, which appears well-adapted to the higher temperatures and light intensities of these Atlantic islands. While multiple algal partners can coexist within a single lichen thallus, typically one photobiont species strongly dominates, accounting for over 90% of the algal cells present. The identity and relative abundance of photobionts appears to be more strongly influenced by geographic location and local climate than by the particular Ramalina species involved. This suggests that Ramalina fungi tend to associate with locally adapted photobionts rather than maintaining exclusive partnerships with specific algal species. Studies of R. farinacea have found that young thalli often contain more diverse algal communities compared to mature specimens, indicating that photobiont selection may be an ongoing process during lichen development.

Distribution

The genus has a widespread distribution. A 2008 estimate placed more than 240 species in Ramalina.

Species

File:Ramalina farinacea1.jpg|Ramalina farinacea File:Ramalina fastigiata1.jpg|Ramalina fastigiata File:Saare-rihmsamblik.JPG|Ramalina fraxinea File:A lichen - Ramalina siliquosa - geograph.org.uk - 933106.jpg|Ramalina siliquosa (with crustose lichen around it)

References

References

  1. {{rp. 189 Members of the genus are [[List of common names of lichen genera. 978-0-300-19500-2
  2. "Ramalina". Encyclopedia of Life.
  3. Acharius, E.. (1809). "Lichenographia Universalis".
  4. C.J. Alexopolous, Charles W. Mims, M. Blackwell, ''Introductory Mycology, 4th ed.'' (John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken NJ, 2004) {{ISBN. 0-471-52229-5
  5. (2007). "The lichen genus ''Ramalina'' on the Galapagos". The Lichenologist.
  6. (2008). "Lichens of St Helena and Ascension Island". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.
  7. (2001). "New Hong Kong lichens, ascomycetes and lichenicolous fungi". Journal of the Hattori Botanical Laboratory.
  8. (2008). "Key to ''Ramalina'' species known from Atlantic islands, with two new species from the Azores". Sauteria.
  9. (1939). "''Ramalina''-Arten aus Japan (II)". Journal of Japanese Botany.
  10. (2002). "''Ramalina meridionalis'', a new species from New Zealand, Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island". Australasian Lichenology.
  11. (2022). "The role of photobionts as drivers of diversification in an island radiation of lichen-forming fungi". Frontiers in Microbiology.
  12. (2021). "Lecanorales: Ramalinaceae including the genera ''Bacidia'', ''Bacidina'', ''Bellicidia'', ''Biatora'', ''Bibbya'', ''Bilimbia'', ''Cliostomum'', ''Kiliasia'', ''Lecania'', ''Megalaria'', ''Mycobilimbia'', ''Phyllopsora'', ''Ramalina'', ''Scutula'', ''Thalloidima'', ''Toninia'', ''Toniniopsis'' and ''Tylothallia''". British Lichen Society.
  13. (1846). "Frammenti lichenografici di un lavoro inedito". Giornale Botanico Italiano.
  14. (1991). "New species of ''Ramalina'' (lichenized Ascomycotina) from Australasia and Malaysia". Mycotaxon.
  15. (2017). "''Ramalina europaea'' and ''R. labiosorediata'', two new species of the ''R. pollinaria'' group (Ascomycota:Ramalinaceae), and new typifications for ''Lichen pollinarius'' and ''L. squarrosus''". The Lichenologist.
  16. Hale, Mason E.. (1978). "A new species of ''Ramalina'' from North America (Lichenes: Ramalinaceae)". The Bryologist.
  17. (2002). "New species of the genus ''Ramalina'' (Ascomycotina: Ramalinaceae) from the Sonoran Desert, Mexico". Mycotaxon.
  18. (2002). "New Species of ''Ramalina'' (Ascomycotina, Ramalinaceae) from the Hawaiian Islands". Journal of Japanese Botany.
  19. (2007). "Two new species of the genus ''Ramalina'' (Ascomycotina: Ramalinaceae) from South America". Bibliotheca Lichenologica.
  20. (2002). "A new or interesting species of the genus ''Ramalina'' (Ascomycotina:Ramalinaceae) from Korea and Japan". Bulletin of the National Science Museum Tokyo.
  21. (2017). "Two new species of ''Ramalina'' (Ascomycotina: Ramalinaceae) from the Nansei Islands, Japan". Journal of Japanese Botany.
  22. (2021). "''Ramalina cinereovirens'' and ''R. subdecumbens'' (Ramalinaceae, Ascomycotina), two new species from Korea". Journal of Japanese Botany.
  23. (2008). "Dictionary of the Fungi". CAB International.
  24. (2018). "''Ramalina sarahae'' (Ramalinaceae), a new species from the Channel Islands of California, U.S.A.". The Bryologist.
  25. (1976). "The genus ''Ramalina'' in East Africa". Norwegian Journal of Botany.
  26. (2000). "Corticolous macrolichens of low montane rainforests and moist woodlands of eastern Tanzania". Sommerfeltia.
  27. (2011). "One hundred new species of lichenized fungi: a signature of undiscovered global diversity". Phytotaxa.
  28. (1994). "New species of ''Ramalina'' from Venezuela". The Bryologist.
  29. (2016). "Two new species of ''Ramalina'' (Ascomycotina: Ramalinaceae) from Korea". Journal of Japanese Botany.
  30. Nylander, W.. (1870). "Recognitio monographica Ramalinarum". Bulletin de la Société Linnéenne de Normandie.
  31. Pérez-Vargas, Israel. (2014). "A new endemic ''Ramalina'' species from the Canary Islands (Ascomycota, Lecanorales)". Phytotaxa.
  32. (2021). "The genus ''Ramalina'' (Ascomycota, Lecanoromycetes, Ramalinaceae) from the Scattered Islands (French Southern and Antarctic Lands), with descriptions of three new species". Plant and Fungal Systematics.
  33. (2021). "''Ramalina arsenii'', an additional new species in the ''R. pollinaria'' group in Western Europe". The Lichenologist.
  34. "Synonymy. Current Name: ''Ramalina'' Ach., in Luyken, Tent. Hist. Lich.: 95 (1809)". [[Species Fungorum]].
  35. (2020). "The fruticose genera in the Ramalinaceae (Ascomycota, Lecanoromycetes): their diversity and evolutionary history". MycoKeys.
  36. (1904). "Flechten, auf Madeira und den Kanaren gesammelt von J. Bornmüller in den Jahren 1900 und 1901 (Fortsetzung)". Österreichische Botanische Zeitschrift.
  37. (1987). "The lichen genus ''Ramalina'' in Australia". Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History.
  38. Stevens, G. Nell. (1986). "Three new saxicolous Ramalinae from Australia". The Lichenologist.
  39. (1974). "''Ramalina'' species with a hollow thallus (''Fistularia'') in East Africa". Norwegian Journal of Botany.
  40. (1937). "Ramalinae nonnullae". Feddes Repertorium Specierum Novarum Regni Vegetabilis.
  41. (2021). "Two new lichen species of the genus ''Ramalina'' (Ramalinaceae) from China". The Bryologist.

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