The lichenRamalina menziesiiTayl. shows a clear gradient in morphology from coastal to inland sites. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of this morphological variation on water uptake, water loss, and tensile strength properties. The results show that none of these characters is greatly influenced by morphological variation. Artificial loading of thalli with NaCl altered the wetting and drying responses in the same direction as was found in coastal material. This implies that the presence of elevated intrathallus concentrations of NaCl found near the coast is mainly responsible for the small differences in wetting and drying characteristics. It further implies that the morphological variation seen in the field is not an adaptation to the conditions near the coast but, rather, is the imposed result of a permanently moist, cool, and salty environment.