Blue star vs Red Beard Lichen

Amsonia orientalis compared with Usnea rubicunda

Key Differences

• Blue star is Critically Endangered while Red Beard Lichen is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blue star	Red Beard Lichen
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Gentianales (Gentianales)	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)
Family	Apocynaceae	Parmeliaceae
Genus	Amsonia	Usnea
Species	Amsonia orientalis	Usnea rubicunda

Conservation Status

Blue star

CR — Critically Endangered

Red Beard Lichen

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blue star	Red Beard Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blue star

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Red Beard Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (Norway, Portugal, Sweden), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia).

Blue star

The Blue star (Amsonia orientalis) is a species in the genus Amsonia. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.