Chinese Angelica-tree vs Common Tarcrust

Aralia chinensis compared with Diatrype stigma

Key Differences

Chinese Angelica-tree is Vulnerable while Common Tarcrust is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chinese Angelica-tree	Common Tarcrust
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)
Order	Apiales (Apiales)	Xylariales (Xylariales)
Family	Araliaceae	Diatrypaceae
Genus	Aralia	Diatrype
Species	Aralia chinensis	Diatrype stigma

Conservation Status

Chinese Angelica-tree

VU — Vulnerable

Common Tarcrust

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chinese Angelica-tree	Common Tarcrust
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chinese Angelica-tree

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Tarcrust

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

Chinese Angelica-tree

The Chinese Angelica-tree (Aralia chinensis) is a species in the genus Aralia. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Common Tarcrust

<em>Diatrype stigma</em>, the common tarcrust, is a saprotrophic fungus in the family Diatrypaceae, found across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, as well as more broadly in Europe and temperate regions globally. It grows as a crust-like, charcoal-black stromata on the dead bark and branches of deciduous hardwoods, particularly hazel, beech, and alder. The fruiting bodies are typically flat to slightly raised, dark gray to black patches that contain numerous embedded perithecia in which ascospores are produced. This fungus plays an important ecological role as a decomposer, breaking down dead woody material and recycling nutrients in forest ecosystems. It is Not Evaluated on the IUCN Red List; given its broad distribution on common substrates, it is generally considered widespread. The species reproduces via wind-dispersed ascospores released from the perithecia. Diet, as a saprotrophic organism, consists of dead organic woody matter. Biological traits such as colony growth rates, spore output, and longevity remain poorly documented in standardized quantitative assessments.