''Niebla juncosa'' is a

fruticose lichen A fruticose lichen is a form of lichen fungi that is characterized by a coral-like shrubby or bushy growth structure. It is formed from a symbiotic relationship of a photobiont such as green algae or less commonly cyanobacteria and one, two or mor ...

that grows on rock, stony soil and sand along the Pacific Coast of

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

from Punta Banda to Morro Santo Dominogo.Spjut, R. W. 1996. ''Niebla'' and ''Vermilacinia'' (Ramalinaceae) from California and Baja California. Sida Bot. Misc. 14 The epithet, ''juncosa'' is in reference to the thallus divided into rush-like branches, the stems of the flowering plant genus ''

Juncus ''Juncus'' is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants, commonly known as rushes. It is the largest genus in the family Juncaceae, containing around 300 species. Description Rushes of the genus ''Juncus'' are herbaceous plants that superfici ...

''.

Distinguishing features

''Niebla juncosa'' is distinguished by the thallus divided into sublinear sub

terete Terete is a term in botany used to describe a cross section that is circular, or like a distorted circle, with a single surface wrapping around it.Lichen Vocabulary, Lichens of North America Information, Sylvia and Stephen Sharnoff/ref> This is us ...

branches with a common attachment base (or holdfast); the primary branches generally creeping or ascending to erect, occasionally dividing into equal secondary branches and developing numerous similar branchlets along the upper side of a main branch (var. ''juncosa'') or branchlets spreading in all directions (var. ''spinulifera''), the branch margins not alternating with the cortical ridges; the whole thallus to 10 cm high and 15 cm in diameter. The species (''N. juncosa'') also recognized by containing divaricatic acid, with triterpenes. The cortex surrounds a fistulose to subfistulose medulla, varying from 55–175 μm thick, generally thinner on the branches where a change in thickness appears related fragmentation branchlets that break off from primary branches. Two varieties recognized. Variety ''juncosa'' has primary branches with mostly entire margins and usually with secondary (fragmentation) branchlets that develop mostly along the upper side of a primary branch; the secondary branches break off well above the attachment to the primary branch, or nearer the apex as seen in

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...

specimens. Variety ''juncosa'' common on rocks but occasionally on sand under '' Yucca valida'' in the southern part the Baja peninsula, and on stony ground in the

terricolous A terricolous lichen is a lichen that grows on the soil as a substrate. An example is some members of the genus ''Peltigera ''Peltigera'' is a genus of approximately 100 species of foliose lichens in the family Peltigeraceae. Commonly known as ...

''Niebla'' communities in the transition zone from chaparral to desert scrub on mesas above Punta Baja. Variety ''spinulifera'' differs by primary branches with mostly wavy (lobed) margins and with

spinule Spinules are small spines or thorns (vertebral columns) that are part of biological and manmade structures. The word originates from the Latin word and is often used in botany and zoology. The presence or absence of spinules, and their shape, can ...

-like branchlets that spread in various directions from the primary branch, the spinule branchlets appear to break where attached to the primary branch, appearing to leave a rudimentary lobe; the thallus often appearing less rush-like and more mat-like related to the intricately divided branches. This variety (var. ''spinulifera'') is widely distributed throughout the range of the species.

Taxonomic history

''Niebla juncosa'' was first recognized from thalli growing on a ridge 300–400 meters in elevation south of Punta Negra, between Punta Rocosa and Punta Prieta; the location for the type specimen collected 20 May 1986. Various outcroppings of rock piles along the ridge were discovered to have a rich assemblage of ''Niebla'' species, represented by various morphological and chemotypes. The associated species include large bushy thalli of ''

Niebla homaleoides ''Niebla homaleoides '' is a fruticose lichen that grows on rocks within a narrow region of the foggy Pacific Coast of Baja California in the Northern Vizcaíno Desert, Arroyo Sauces, Punta Cono and ridges south of Punta Negra.Spjut, R. W. 1996 ...

'', '' Niebla infundibula'', '' Niebla josecuervoi'', '' Niebla sorocarpia'', '' Niebla turgida'', and other related species with short tufts of branches. ''Niebla juncosa'' has been included under a very broad species concept of ''

Niebla homalea ''Niebla homalea'' is a species of fruticose lichen that grows on rocks in foggy areas along the Pacific Coast of North America, from Mendocino County, California south to Bahía de San Quintín on the main peninsula of Baja California, with an ...

;''Bowler, P. and J. Marsh. 2004. ''Niebla''. ‘Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert 2’: 368–380. one that essentially recognizes only three species in the genus ''Niebla'', defined by a two-layered cortex, isolated chondroid strands in the medulla and by lacking key lichen substances such as the triterpene zeorin and the diterpene (-)-16 α-hydroxykaurane that are found in most species of ''Vermilacinia''.Spjut R. W. 1995. ''Vermilacinia'' (Ramalinaceae, Lecanorales), a new genus of lichens. In: Flechten Follmann; Contr. Lichen in honor of Gerhard Follmann; F. J. A. Daniels, M. Schulz & J. Peine, eds., Koeltz Scientific Books: Koenigstein, pp. 337-351. Under the broad species concept, the morphological differences are seen as environmentally induced variation, and the chemical differences as chemo-syndromes; however, no data were presented to support this view, other than reference to studies in other genera that appear inapplicable.Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert: Book Review, Richard Spjut, web page, http://www.worldbotanical.com/lichen%20flora%20review.htm

References

External links

*World Botanical Associates, ''Niebla juncosa'', retrieved 26 Dec 2014, http://www.worldbotanical.com/niebla_juncosa.htm#juncosa *Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert: Book Review, Richard Spjut, web page, retrieved 26 Dec 2014, http://www.worldbotanical.com/lichen%20flora%20review.htm {{Taxonbar, from=Q20720442 Lichen species Lichens of North America Ramalinaceae Lichens described in 1996 Taxa named by Richard Wayne Spjut