Brown Cobblestone Lichen vs Choke

Acarospora fuscata compared with Epichloe typhina

Key Differences

• Brown Cobblestone Lichen is Least Concern while Choke is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Cobblestone Lichen	Choke
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)
Order	Acarosporales (Acarosporales)	Hypocreales (Hypocreales)
Family	Acarosporaceae	Clavicipitaceae
Genus	Acarospora	Epichloe
Species	Acarospora fuscata	Epichloe typhina

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown Cobblestone Lichen and Choke share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Ascomycota. (Sac Fungi)

Conservation Status

Brown Cobblestone Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Choke

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Cobblestone Lichen	Choke
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brown Cobblestone Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

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

Choke

Habitat

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

Range

Found in United States.

Brown Cobblestone Lichen

The Brown Cobblestone Lichen (Acarospora fuscata) is a species in the genus Acarospora. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Choke

Choke (Epichloe typhina) is an endophytic and pathogenic fungus in the family Clavicipitaceae, phylum Ascomycota, that colonises the tissues of various cool-season grasses (Poaceae) across Europe and North America. The name refers to the disease it causes — infected grass tillers are typically 'choked' (prevented from flowering) when the fungus produces a dense, white to cream-coloured, stromata (a compact fungal structure) that surrounds the flowering stem before it can emerge, suppressing seed production. Epichloe species exist along a mutualism-parasitism continuum; some strains are biotrophic endophytes living almost entirely within grass tissues without obvious symptoms and conferring benefits to the host such as increased drought resistance and deterrence of herbivores through alkaloid production, while others — including E. typhina — are more parasitic in nature, sterilising infected host tillers. The fungus spreads via airborne ascospores produced on its stroma that infect new host plants. Related Epichloe/Neotyphodium endophytes are of great practical importance to agriculture as they produce ergot alkaloids and other compounds that can cause toxicosis in livestock grazing infected pasture grasses. As a fungal pathogen/endophyte rather than a wildlife species, it is Not Evaluated by the IUCN.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇺🇸 United States