Synonyms: Calicium polyporaeum, Mycocalicium polyporaeum.
Common name: fairy pins.
Phaeocalicium polyporaeum is a fungus in the family Mycocaliciaceae that parasitizes certain species of bracket fungi, particularly those in the genus Trametes. In East and Central Texas, it has been found growing on the fruiting bodies of Trametes versicolor and other polypores, typically appearing as small, dark brown to black stalked apothecia with a rounded to oval cap. The fungus is relatively rare in the region, but can be found on decaying logs and stumps in wooded areas, particularly during the spring and fall months when host fungi are most active.
Tiny black Fairy Pins fungus (polypore club lichen, Phaeocalicium polyporaeum) on purple toothed polypore mushrooms (Trichaptum biforme) with algae on an oak fallen across a creek on Four Notch Loop Trail of Sam Houston National Forest near Huntsville. Texas, January 23, 2021
Fairy Pins fungus (polypore club lichen, Phaeocalicium polyporaeum) on purple toothed polypore mushrooms (Trichaptum biforme) on Four Notch Loop Trail of Sam Houston National Forest near Huntsville. Texas, January 23, 2021
Fairy Pins fungus (polypore club lichen, Phaeocalicium polyporaeum) on purple toothed polypore mushrooms (Trichaptum biforme) with green algae near Pole Creek on North Wilderness Trail of Little Lake Creek Wilderness in Sam Houston National Forest north from Montgomery. Texas, February 21, 2021
Fairy Pins fungus (polypore club lichen, Phaeocalicium polyporaeum) on purple toothed polypore mushrooms (Trichaptum biforme) with green algae on a mossy trunk of a fallen oak near Pole Creek on North Wilderness Trail of Little Lake Creek Wilderness in Sam Houston National Forest north from Montgomery. Texas, February 21, 2021Observations of Phaeocalicium polyporaeum in East and Central Texas reveal its presence on purple toothed polypore mushrooms (Trichaptum biforme) in various locations. On January 23, 2021, it was found on an oak log across a creek on Four Notch Loop Trail of Sam Houston National Forest near Huntsville, with algae present. Similar observations were made on the same trail and later on North Wilderness Trail of Little Lake Creek Wilderness, where the fungus grew alongside green algae on fallen oaks, including one with a mossy trunk near Pole Creek. These sightings occurred in January and February 2021, indicating the fungus's presence during winter months in these regions. The consistent association with Trichaptum biforme and occasional co-occurrence with algae were noted across these observations.
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