Basidiolichens are lichenized members of the

Basidiomycota Basidiomycota () is one of two large divisions that, together with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya (often referred to as the "higher fungi") within the kingdom Fungi. Members are known as basidiomycetes. More specifically, Basi ...

, a much smaller group of lichens than the far more common ascolichens in the

Ascomycota Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The de ...

. In arctic, alpine, and temperate forests, the most common basidiolichens are in the

agaric An agaric () is a type of fungus fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus (cap) that is clearly differentiated from the stipe (stalk), with lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus. In the UK, agarics are called "mushroo ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

Lichenomphalia ''Lichenomphalia'' is both a basidiolichen and an agaric genus. Most of the species have inconspicuous lichenized thalli that consist of scattered, small, loose, nearly microscopic green balls or foliose small flakes containing single-celled gr ...

'' (including former members of '' Omphalina'' or '' Gerronema'') and the clavarioid genus '' Multiclavula''. Several lichenized genera occur in tropical regions, the most common being the foliose '' Dictyonema''. Previously basidiolichens had been classified in their own subclass, Basidiolichenes. Molecular based

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spe ...

does not support classification of the genera together.

References

External links

BioImages
Several photos of ''Lichenomphalia umbellifera''
New Zealand Fungi
Images of ''Lichenomphalia alpina'' and its synonyms

Photos of several lichens, including ''Dictyonema'' Agaricales Fungal morphology and anatomy * {{lichen-stub