Ramalina geniculata Hook.f. & Taylor
Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco (prob. Bay of Islands). J.D. Hooker, BM!
Thallus loosely tufted, to 3 cm tall, of dichotomously branched laciniae to 1.5 mm broad at base, narrowing to 0.3 mm wide at tips, slightly flattened or rarely subterete, smooth or in places obscurely faveolate but not canaliculate, ± fistulose, here and there with rounded holes, to 0.5 mm diam., exposing hollow cavity of interior, surface pale greenish-yellow or glaucous, shining, without soredia or pseudocyphellae. Apothecia numerous, subterminal or marginal, with a well-defined spur (geniculate), 1-3 mm diam., rounded, sub-pedicellate, thalline exciple smooth, disc plane or convex, pale yellow-pink with a thick glaucous-yellow pruina, margins concolorous with thallus, occluded in old fruits. Ascospores 6-8 per ascus, biseriate, straight or curved (10-)12-14 × 5-6 µm. Chemistry: Sekikaic and salazinic (tr.) acids.
N: North Auckland to Wellington. S: Nelson to Southland and Fiordland. St: On divaricating shrubs or in canopy twigs on small trees, mainly coastal and lowland. Best developed in coastal localities in North Auckland, especially as an epiphyte of mangrove.
Cosmopolitan
R. geniculata is distinguished from R. inflata by the thinner, flatter laciniae, the apothecia which are subterminal and distinctly geniculate and by chemistry. The species is discussed in some detail by Lamb [ J. Bot. Lond. 79: 89-97 (1941)]. Together with R. inflata it is included in the genus Fistulariella [Bowler and Rundel Mycotaxon 6: 195-202 (1977)], but this genus is not well separated from Ramalina and is probably conspecific with it.
