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Lichens (1985) - Flora of New Zealand Lichens
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Calicium Pers.

CALICIUM Pers., 1794

* Account prepared by Dr L. Tibell (Uppsala).

Thallus crustaceous, epi- or endosubstratic. When episubstratic the thallus is verrucose-granular, grey, greenish-grey, pale yellowish-green or dark green. Photobiont: Trebouxia. Apothecia well-stalked. Stalk tissue of strongly sclerotized, blackish-brown to greenish-brown hyphae. Mazaedium well-developed. Asci dissolved at early stages, cylindrical-clavate. Ascospores 1-septate, when mature, dark brown with thick walls. Spore wall often with distinctive ornamentation. Pycnidia sessile or slightly immersed, simple, spherical and with simple ostiole. Conidia broadly ellipsoid to short cylindrical, hyaline, simple. Chemistry: Containing β-orcinol depsides and depsidones, xanthones and tetronic acid derivatives.

Key

1
Apothecia with distinct pruina on the lower side of capitulum
2
Apothecia without distinct pruina on the lower side of capitulum
6
2
Pruina yellow
3
Pruina not yellow
4
3
Apothecia 1.4-2.0 mm high; spores minutely striate
adspersum
Apothecia 0.5-0.9 mm high; spores with minutely cracked-areolate ornamentation
trabinellum
4
Pruina brown
salicinum
Pruina white
5
5
Pruina thick, ± areolate, Pd+ orange - reddish; thallus episubstratic, pale yellowish, C+ orange
cryptocroceum
Pruina thin and sometimes very inconspicuous, Pd-; thallus immersed, C-
glaucellum
6
Thallus pale yellow, C+ orange
7
Thallus C-
8
7
Apothecia with short and thick stalks, stalk 1.5-3 times as long as wide; spores 12.5-15.5 × 6.5-7.5 µm
robustellum
Apothecia with stalk 3-8 times as long as wide; spores 10.5-14 × 4.5-7.5 µm
hyperelloides
8
Apothecia very short-stalked, almost sessile
piperatum
Apothecia well-stalked, stalk more than 5 times as long as wide
9
9
Spores remaining simple, even in mature asci, mature asci clavate; stalk and excipulum in squash preparations I+ dark blue
subquercinum
Spores 1-septate, even in mature asci, mature asci cylindrical; stalk and excipulum in squash preparations I-
10
10
Spores 12.5-15 × 5.5-7 µm, with dotted or minutely cracked surface; stalk often with a brownish, to olivaceous-brown tinge
abietinum
Spores 9-13 × 5-6.5 µm, with coarsely cracked surface; stalk black
glaucellum

Until little more than a decade ago many species that are not lichenized and which also differ in several other ways from Calicium sens. strict. , were included in Calicium. In the present treatment these genera, belonging in the family Mycocaliciaceae, are not included. The following genera of Mycocaliciaceae occur in New Zealand: Chaenothecopsis, Mycocalicium, Phaeocalicium and Stenocybe.

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