A Tangled Web

Day 50: I thought I had this figured out, but when I got a small specimen home and began examining it, I was forced to rethink my identification. Faced with two new options, I subjected a section to chemical analysis. It tested negative for a chlorine reaction, eliminating Alectoria sarmentosa from the running. Still, it didn't quite fit the brief for Ramalina thrausta because the tips of the finer branches lacked the typical curl. Apothecia were very rare (a characteristic of that species); I examined hundreds, literally hundreds of examples in the Longmire compound and only found two clumps where apothecia were present, and they were within inches of each other behind Macy Dorm. Admittedly, Brodo (the "forty-pound field guide") only contains about 30% of North American lichen species, but I would think that as common as this Ramalina is at Longmire, it must occur elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest. I hesitate to classify it as R. thrausta, although I suspect that's what it is.

Footnote: I felt silly asking about a common lichen, but this one can be tricky. I contacted Dr. Brodo who said he believes it is Alectoria sarmentosa (I should have done a KC test instead of a C). He suggested checking the spores under the microscope. I did, and they seem to confirm the identification but for one thing: they're blue, not brown. We're still hashing it out.