Calicium is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance of a dressmaker's pin (called a mazaedium), hence the common name pin lichen. They are also commonly called stubble lichens.
They have been used as indicator species for old growth redwood forests.
Evolutionary history
The discovery of a Calicium-like fossil in Baltic amber dating back 55–35 myr indicates that the main distinguishing characteristics of this genus have persisted for at least tens of millions of years. A fossil-calibrated phylogeny that includes this fossil suggests that the family Caliciaceae diversified from its most recent common ancestor 103–156 Myr ago in the early Cretaceous.
Species
, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accepts 40 species in Calicium: Calicium abietinum Calicium adspersum Calicium atronitescens Calicium brachysporum Calicium carolinianum Calicium chlorosporum Calicium contortum Calicium corynellum Calicium diploellum Calicium episcalare Calicium glaucellum Calicium glebosum Calicium hyperelloides Calicium indicum Calicium laevigatum Calicium lecideinum Calicium lenticulare Calicium lucidum Calicium lutescens Calicium martinii Calicium muriformis Calicium nobile Calicium notarisii Calicium parvum Calicium pinicola Calicium pleuriseptatum Calicium pyriforme Calicium quercinum Calicium robustellum Calicium salicinum Calicium sequoiae Calicium sperlingiae – Oregon, USA Calicium succini Calicium tenuisporum Calicium tigillare Calicium trabinellum Calicium trachylioides Calicium tricolor Calicium verrucosum Calicium victorianum Calicium viride