Calamus vs Common Button Lichen

Acorus calamus compared with Buellia erubescens

Key Differences

  • Calamus is Least Concern while Common Button Lichen is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Calamus Common Button Lichen
Kingdom Plantae (Plants) Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants) Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class Liliopsida (Monocots) Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order Acorales (Acorales) Caliciales (Caliciales)
Family Acoraceae Caliciaceae
Genus Acorus Buellia
Species Acorus calamus Buellia erubescens

Conservation Status

Calamus

LC — Least Concern

Common Button Lichen

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Calamus Common Button Lichen
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Calamus

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (5 countries), Europe (30 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

Common Button Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Taiwan, and United States.

Calamus

The Calamus (Acorus calamus) is a species in the genus Acorus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Common Button Lichen

<em>Buellia erubescens</em>, commonly known as the common button lichen, is a lichen species with documented occurrences across Asia, Europe, and North America, including countries such as Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United States. It typically colonizes diverse terrestrial surfaces, often found on bark, rock, or other substrates in temperate and boreal environments. Common button lichen belongs to the genus <em>Buellia</em> within the family Caliciaceae. As a crustose lichen, it typically forms tightly adhered, crust-like thalli on the surfaces it colonizes, making it characteristic of stable, undisturbed substrates. Biological traits such as average lifespan, thallus size, and biomass of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. The species has not yet been formally evaluated by the IUCN, and its global conservation status therefore remains undetermined. Its occurrence across multiple continents suggests a wide ecological tolerance, though detailed population data and trend assessments are currently lacking for this taxon.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

Nature FYI Family

Explore more of the natural world across our sister sites.

Part of the Nature FYI family — FYIPedia