—86— 



questionable material referred heretofore to what has been known as the scopu- 

 lorum stock belongs here. The species is distinguished by its rigid, pale, sub- 

 terete laciniae, with their more or less multifid, sorediate tips/ Its non-costate 

 laciniae separate it from narrow states of polymorpha, — its rigid cartilaginous 

 thallus from pollinaria. The smaller states are separable from intermedia on 

 account of their rigid multifid tips and thalline structure. 



Ramalina polymorpha Ach. 

 Synonymy: Lichen polymorphus Ach. Kongl. Vet. Acad. Nya. Handl. 18:270. 

 1797. 



Ramalina polymorpha Ach. Lich. Univ. 600. 18 10. 



Ramalina polymorpha a. ligulata Ach. Meth. Lich. 265. 1803. 

 Type: Though apparently no specimen labeled Lichen polymorphus is now 

 in the Acharian herbarium, Universitetets Botaniska Inscitution at Helsingfors, 

 there exists authentic Acharian material representing all his varieties, fide Dr. 

 Fred. Elfving. 



Type locality: "in insulis sinus Botnici Ostro-Gothiae .... Up- 

 landiae .... Smolandiae. " i. e. Scandinavia. 



Original description: "subcartilagineus erectiusculus rigidus compressus 

 laciniato-ramosus polymorphus pallide lutescens; lacunulis sparsis fariniferis; 

 glomerulis scutellisque congestis terminalibus. " 1. c. 



Figure: Ach. Kongl. Vet. Acad. Nya. Handl. 18:/?/. 11: f. 3, A-Z. 1797. 



Diagnosis: Thallus caespitose, compressed, sublinear, rigid, longitudinally 

 rugose, granular-sorediate, apothecia marginal, spores straight. 



Description: Thallus caespitose (max. alt. 4 cm.), rigid, virescent at 

 length stramineous; cortex glabrous, often foraminous, longitudinally rugose, 

 granular-sorediate; laciniae subsimple, compressed, attenuate, apices obtuse. 

 Apothecia rare, marginal concave, marginate (max. diam. 8 mm.), disk buflf. 

 Spores ellipsoid, straight or substraight, ix. 



Contingent phases: Unobserved. 



Substrata: On maritime (and alpine) rocks. 



Distribution: Rare in the Boreal Zone on the Alaska Peninsula and 

 Islands, and perhaps southward. 



Stations: Alaska: Arakamtchetchere Island. Washington: Friday Har- 

 bor. 



Observations: This saxicolous species, of which Tuckerman had seen no 

 typical specimens, must be included, if only on the ground of the Acharian 

 material, which includes a specimen from "Amer. bor. This specimen he 

 referred to his variety ligulata which is inseparable from his type, as has been 



1 Fertile examples are esorediate and less multifid. 



2 The following records are also included in our literature: Arctic America, Richardson. 

 Alaska, Rothrock and Cummings; Maine, Eckfeldt; Minnesota, Fink = humilis (See Contr. U. 

 S. Nat. Herb," 14: 205. 1910); New York, Halsey; New Hampshire, Howe, fide Wheelock; New- 

 foundland, Cape Breton, Alaska, Anticosti, Prince Edwards Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Alaska, 

 Macoun; Massachusetts, Cummings; Pennsylvania, Newfoundland and Labrador, Eckfeldt; 

 Muhlenberg; and New England, Tuckerman. But few of these records are supported, however, 

 by authentic material. 



