Parietinic acid is an organic compound in the structural class of chemicals known as anthraquinones.

The substance was first reported in the literature by the German chemist Walter Eschrich in 1958.

[2] In 1970, Johan Santesson proposed a possible biogenetic relationship between the anthraqunone compounds commonly found in Caloplaca.

In 2002, Ulrik Søchting and Patrik Frödén identified chemosyndrome A, the most common chemosyndrome in the genus Teloschistes and in the entire family Teloschistaceae, which features parietin as the main substance and smaller proportions of teloschistin, fallacinal, parietinic acid, and emodin.

[4] In its purified form, parietinic acid exists as orange needles with a melting point of 304–305 °C (579–581 °F).