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Ramalina homalea Ach. Type species of the genus. 



Synonymy: Ramalina homalea Ach. Lich. Univ. 598. 1810. 



Type: In the Acharian herbarium, Universitetets Botaniska Institution, 

 Helsingfors, fide Dr. Fred Elfvring. No duplicate material is in the Linnean 

 Society herbarium at London fide author.^ 



Type locality: "In rupibus Calif orniae. " Menzies. 



Original description: "thallo compresso ancipiti laevigato nudo ramose 

 albo-pallescente transversim subrimoso, ramis dichotomis attenuatis; apotheciis 

 sparsis centre affixis concaviusculis subimmarginatis concoloribus. " I. c. 



Figure: Ach., /. c, PI. XIII, f. 5. and PI. VII. f. i. 



Diagnosis: Thallus caespitose, compressed, attenuate, rigid, transverse- 

 rimose, apothecia lateral, spores straight or substraight. 



Description: Thallus caespitose (max. length 12 cm.) rigid, pale virescent 

 to stramineus, becoming reddish in herbarium; cortex glabrous, nitidous, sparsely 

 transverse-rimose or rugose (rarely punctate with black spermogones) ; laciniae 

 compressed, two-edged, subsimple or branched, now laterally digitate (max. 

 width 6 mm.), apices attenuate. Apothecia common, lateral, applanate or con- 

 cave, marginate, at length lacerate (max. diam. 8 mm.), thalline exciple rufbse, 



9.7-19 



disk concolorous or pale. Spores oblong, straight or substraight, ^c. 



Contingent phases: (a) Margins of laciniae isidiiferous. {R. homalea f. 

 isidiosa Willey MS. (6) Blackening. 



Substrata: On maritime rocks (sandstone, granite) and trees? 



Distribution: Common in the Transition Zone on the Pacific Coast from 

 Guadalupe Island, Lower California and Mexico, to San Francisco. It has 

 been collected inland two miles at Pilarcitos Creek canon (250 ft.) and on San 

 Bruno Mt., at an elevation of 1,300 feet. 



Stations : California : San Mateo Co.; Calif ornian archipelago; San 

 Diego; Pilarcitos Creek canon; Pt. Lobos; San Bruno Mt.; San Francisco Bay; 

 Pt. Como; Mission Dolores. 



Lower California: Guadalupe Island; Coronados Island. 



Mexico: (No locality given.) 



Observations: This species is generally easily recognized on account 

 of its rigid, compressed, two-edged, rimose, never pitted, and rarely floccose 

 thallus. R. homalea represents the most internally chondroid common to our 

 area. 



ExsiccATi: No. 92. Decades No. Amer. Lich., Cummings, etc., "San Mateo 

 Co., Cal.," Feb. 17, 1893. M. A. Howe. 



No. 2. Lich. Boreali-Amer., Cummings, etc., data as above. 



Note: Ramalina homalta var. disrupta Nyl. Recog. mono. Ram. 108 [10 

 1870. The Abbe Hue includes this variety from California. (Lich. Exoti. 53 



iBull. Torr. Bot, Club. 39: 203. 1912. 



