SPECIES FACT SHEETScientific Name: Ramalina labiosorediata Gasparyan, Sipman &

Lücking Division: AscomycotaClass: LecanoromycetesOrder: LecanoralesFamily: Ramalinaceae

Ramalina labiosorediata was recently named from North America (Gasparyan et al. 2017); it was previously called Ramalina pollinaria, a European and Scandinavian species that differs in having mainly laminal and marginal soralia.

Technical Description: Thallus fruticose, upper and lower surfaces similar, 1 to 3 cm long, pale greenish-yellow to pale green. Lobes (branches) attached basally, numerous, irregularly and coarsely dichotomously to palmately branched, erect or rarely pendant, solid, to 2 mm wide, mostly flat; branch surfaces shiny, smooth or wrinkled. Reproduction: Apothecia not seen. Soralia 1 - 5 mm wide, produced on the underside of widened lobe tips which turn up at the margin (labriform) and along lobe margins and occasionally on the lamina; soredia 50-70 mµ diameter; terete, spine-like proliferations also produce granules in tiny apical soralia. Photobiont: Photosynthetic partner is a green alga.

Chemistry: Contains evernic and usnic acids (Gasparyan et al., 2017). Although evernic acid should give a UV+ reaction and usnic acid should give a KC+ reaction, the amounts of these chemicals are low enough that the reactions may not be visible (Gasparyan, pers. comm.).

Distinctive characters: 1) Fruticose thallus to 3 cm long, 2) shiny cortex on both lobe surfaces 3) soralia beneath widened, labriform lobe tips, along lobe margins, and at the tips of short spines.

Similar species: R. farinacea has marginal soralia, never terminal expanded or lip-like, although tiny terminal soralia are sometimes present, and the thalli can be up to 10 cm long.

R. obtusata has translucent, perforated, or partially hollow branches, and soredia in hooded or labriform soralia.

R. subleptocarpha has branches that are 2-8 mm wide and produces soredia in slit-like soralia along the lobe edges.

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Evernia prunastri lobes are matte with the upper surface pale green and the under surface whitish.

Other descriptions and illustrations: Most accurate reference is Gasparyan et al. 2017, where the new species is described; Brodo et al. 2001 (as R. pollinaria); Exeter et al. 2016 (as R. pollinaria); McCune & Geiser 2009 (as R. pollinaria, description may not be accurate); Mikulin (as R. pollinaria, no date).

Life History: Details for Ramalina labiosorediata are not documented. Dispersal is limited to vegetative propagation via soredia, litterfall, and fragmentation.

Range, Distribution, and Abundance: Throughout North America. In the Pacific Northwest, from British Columbia south into California. In eastern United States documented in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

National Forests and BLM Districts: documented on the Olympic, Siuslaw and Willamette National Forests, suspected on the Mt. Hood, Rogue River-Siskiyou and Umpqua National Forests. BLM Districts: documented on Arcata and Coos Bay Districts, suspected on Northwest Oregon District. It has been found in state and federal lands along the California, Oregon and Washington coasts. In British Columbia it has been found along the coast and in the coast mountains.

Widespread in North America but rare along the coast in the Pacific Northwest, possibly undercollected.

Habitat: In the Pacific Northwest, on bark, twigs, and wood of conifers, hardwoods, shrubs, and rarely rock along the immediate coast. Forest types are Picea sitchensis and Tsuga heterophylla associations.

Threats: Sensitive to N and SO2 air pollution (McCune and Geiser 2009). Coastal forests as well as those in the Cascade Range are at risk from air pollution because of fog penetration and patterns of prevailing winds (McCune 2003; Klopatek et al. 2006; Geiser and Neitlich 2007).

Conservation Considerations: Consider revisiting known localities and monitoring the status of populations. Search for new populations on federal and state lands inland. Protection of known sites should be a priority. The best opportunity for conservation would be on federal land and in state parks.

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When maintaining trails in appropriate habitat for Ramalina labiosorediata, avoid edges of dense thickets and live or dead lower branches of Picea sitchensis. Field training about these rare lichens could help maintenance crews to avoid damaging habitat. Critical features of this habitat include microsite moisture and light. Thinning or pruning of branches could alter the microhabitat necessary for the survival of this species.

Conservation rankings: Global: G4; National: NNR. Oregon: S1S2, ORBIC List 2, Sensitive; WA S2, Threatened.

Preparer: John A. Christy, with edits from Daphne Stone and Rob Huff, May 2008. Attachment 2 (Map of Oregon and Washington locations) added 2009.Updated by Daphne Stone, February 2019.

References

Brodo, I. M., S. D. Sharnoff and S. Sharnoff. 2001. Lichens of North America. Yale University Press, New Haven and London. 795 pp. (as R. pollinaria)

Exeter, R., C. Glade and S. Loring. 2016. Rare Lichens of Oregon. Bureau of Land Management, Salem District, Salem, OR. 189 pp. (as R. pollinaria) https://archive.org/details/rarelichensofore00exet Accessed 19 January 2019.

Gasparyan, A., H. J. M. Sipman & R. Lücking. 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. Lichenologist 49(4): 301-319.

Geiser, L.H. & P.N Neitlich. 2007. Air pollution and climate gradients in western Oregon and Washington indicated by epiphytic macrolichens. Environmental Pollution 145: 203-218. (as R. pollinaria)

Geiser, L. H., D.A. Glavich, A.G. Mikulin, A.R. Ingersoll & M. Hutten. 2004. New records of rare and unusual coastal lichens from the US Pacific Northwest. Evansia 21: 104-110. (as R. pollinaria)

Goward, T. 1999. The lichens of British Columbia. Part 2. Fruticose species. British Columbia Ministry of Forests. 319 pp. (as R. pollinaria)

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Glavich, D. A., L. H. Geiser, and A. G. Mikulin. 2005. The distributions of some rare coastal lichesn in the Pacific Northwest and their association with the late-seral and federally-protected forests. The Bryologist 108(2): 241-254. (as R. pollinaria)

Klopatek, J.M., M.J. Barry & D.W. Johnson. 2006. Potential canopy interception of nitrogen in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Forest Ecology and Management 234: 344-354.

McCune, B. 2003. An unusual ammonia-affected lichen community on the Oregon coast. Evansia 20: 132-137. (as R. pollinaria)

McCune, B. and L. Geiser. 2009. Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest, Second Edition. OSU Press, Corvallis. 464 pp. (as R. pollinaria)

Mikulin, A. (no date). Illustration of Ramalina pollinaria. USDA Forest Service National Lichens and Air Quality Database and Clearinghouse. (as R. pollinaria but this is an accurate drawing of R. labiosorediata.)http://gis.nacse.org/lichenair/index.php?page=illustrations

Oregon Biodiversity Information Center. 2016. Rare, Threatened and Endangered Nonvascular Plant and Fungi Species of Oregon. Oregon Biodiversity Information Center, Portland. 26 pp. (as R. pollinaria) https://inr.oregonstate.edu/sites/inr.oregonstate.edu/files/2016-rte-nonvasc.pdf Accessed 18 Jan 2019

Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program. 2011. List of Lichens. (as R. pollinaria) https://www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/amp_nh_lichens.pdf?hv0cza Accessed 18 January 2019.

USDA Forest Service National Lichens and Air Quality Database and Clearinghouse. (as R. pollinaria)http://gis.nacse.org/lichenair/index.php?page=query&type=community Accessed 18 Jan 2019.

Photos and Illustration All photos by Scot Loring (McCune 32057, Lake Co., MT)

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Whole thallus showing labriform soralia at lobe tips and tiny soralia on narrow tips.

Whole thallus.

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Rounded soralia on lobe surface.

Drawing of thallus by Alexander Mikulin.

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