Flora of New Zealand Series

Type : Ramalina fraxinea (L.) Ach. [=Lichen fraxineus L.,  typ. cons. ]

Description : Flora (1985: 496).

Ramalina is a large genus of cosmopolitan lichens with some 200 species currently recognised (Kirk et al. 2001; Kashiwadani & Nash 2004), and is included in the family Ramalinaceae (Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004; Eriksson 2005). The genus is characterised by usually having pale yellow-green, flattened strap-like branches with small disc-like or cup-shaped apothecia. In New Zealand the genus is widespread and easily identified, being found on both native and introduced trees and shrubs in suburban gardens, forest margins and on scrub and on rocks in coastal localities. It appears to be absent from large parts of the country – much of Stewart I., and Fiordland, for example, being "Ramalina deserts" (Bannister 1998; Bannister et al. 2004), and several widespread species are undoubtedly introduced weeds. Species distinction has always been problematical in the genus. A preliminary introductory account (Galloway 1985a) discussed nine species, but many taxonomic difficulties remained unaddressed because of poor or inadequate collections. A later monograph (Blanchon et al. 1996a) based on adequate field studies supplemented with chemotaxonomic and SEM data, recognised 18 taxa. Additional details of southern distributions are given in Bannister (1998) and additional taxa are discussed in Bannister & Blanchon (2002, 2003) and Blanchon & Bannister (2002, 2004). Currently, 17 species are accepted for New Zealand and detailed distribution maps of 14 of these, with notes on possible ecological factors influencing their distributions, is presented by Bannister et al. (2004). A fertile, non-sorediate taxon [cf. R. microspora Kremp.] is also known from coastal lava outcrops in scrub from Raoul I. in the Kermadecs (Bannister & Blanchon 2003), but its exact status is still in doubt and it is not included here. Useful information on the genus is also found in the treatments of Stevens (1987, 1991b) for Australasian and Pacific tropical taxa; Swinscow & Krog (1988) for East African taxa; Kashiwadani & Nash (2004) for Sonoran Desert taxa; Kashiwadani (1990) for Chilean species; Kashiwadani & Kalb (1993) and Cordeiro et al. (2004) for Brazilian taxa; Rosata & Scutari (2000) for taxa in Argentina; Álvarez et al. (2001) for taxa in Spain; Kashiwadani & Nash (2002) for new species from Mexico, and Kashiwadani et al. (2002) for new species in Hawai'i.