Niebla pulchribarbara

The World Botanical Associates Web Page
Prepared by Richard W. Spjut
January 2004, Oct. 2005

Niebla and Vermilacinia (Ramalinaceae) from California and Baja California.  
Spjut, R.W., 1996. ISSN 0833-1475, 208 pp.  
Sida, Botanical Miscellany: 14. Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Inc.

 

Rocky mesa E of San Antonio del Mar, Spjut & Marin 11182,
Apr 1990

 

Illustration of TLC data for species of Niebla

Map showing collection sites

     Niebla pulchribarbara appears to be a relatively rare species, and one that is also unique in the genus for having protocetraric acid.  It has been reported only from two areas, sandy beaches near Bahía de San Quintín and lava rubble on a mesa above San Antonio del Mar.  In the latter location, two thalli were collected on two separate occasions where the specimens collected may represent only 5% of the Niebla specimens sampled. 

     The species was originally described by Rundel and Bowler from a vegetation study they did on lichens at  Bahía de San Quintín (Rundel et al. 1972); however, Bowler and Marsh (2004), felt it was no longer worthy of recognition and treated it as a synonym of N. josecuervoi, a species that had also been described by Rundel and Bowler in the same earlier study (Rundel et al. 1972).  The authors of N. pulchribarbara did not provide any indication of what its frequency was at the site, apparently because they distinguished N. pulchribarbara from N. josescuervoi by the terricolous habit rather than by secondary lichen substances as was done by Spjut (1996).