Alpine Foam Lichen vs Cottontail Foam Lichen

Stereocaulon alpinum compared with Stereocaulon paschale

Key Differences

• Alpine Foam Lichen is Data Deficient while Cottontail Foam Lichen is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Foam Lichen	Cottontail Foam Lichen
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class same	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order same	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)
Family same	Stereocaulaceae	Stereocaulaceae
Genus same	Stereocaulon	Stereocaulon
Species	Stereocaulon alpinum	Stereocaulon paschale

Evolutionary Relationship

Alpine Foam Lichen and Cottontail Foam Lichen share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Stereocaulon.

Conservation Status

Alpine Foam Lichen

DD — Data Deficient

Cottontail Foam Lichen

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Foam Lichen	Cottontail Foam Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Foam Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

Cottontail Foam Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Alpine Foam Lichen

The Alpine Foam Lichen (Stereocaulon alpinum) is a species in the genus Stereocaulon. Its conservation status is listed as Data Deficient, indicating insufficient data for assessment. Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region. Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States