Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2004. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 2.

Thallus: fruticose, shrubby or subpendulous, up to 7(15) cm long branching: sparingly and dichotomously branched from a narrow holdfast branches: solid, plane or +canaliculate, up to 3(-5) mm wide surface: greenish gray to greenish yellow, lacunose, shiny, sorediate soralia: marginal, rarely laminal, marginal soralia erupting in cracks between upper and lower cortices pseudocyphellae: laminal or rarely marginal, ellipsoid or short linear near the base of laciniae, flat to +depressed cortex: thin; chondroid strands: continuous, smooth, never forming bundles of hyphae Apothecia: not seen Pycnidia: not observed Spot tests: cortex K-, C-, KC+ yellow, P-; medulla K-, C-, KC-, P- Secondary metabolites: cortex with usnic acid (minor); medulla with zeorin (±trace). Substrate and ecology: on bark World and Sonoran distribution: southern California, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. Notes: Ramalina subleptocarpha is a sorediate counterpart of R. leptocarpha. It might be confused with R. farinacea that differs in having flat laciniae, +cracked chondroid strands and in producing depsidones such as protocetraric or norstictic acids.