Some aspects of the water relations of the lichen Xanthomaculina hottentotta (Ach.) Hale from the Namib desert

The water relations of the desert lichen Xanthomaculina hottentotta were in vestigated using thermocouple psychrometry. Although the water relations of X. hottentotta were similar to those of other lichens from xeric habitats, X. hottentotta lost less K+ following sudden re-wetting, contained less in tercellular water and had a higher psi(pi s) than these lichens. The implic ations of these findings for the water relations of X. hottentotta are disc ussed.