Schaereria

Schaereria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi. It is the sole genus in the family Schaereriaceae, which itself is the only family in the Schaereriales, an order in the subclass Ostropomycetidae of the class Lecanoromycetes. Most Schaereria species are crustose lichens that live on rocks. Schaereria was first proposed by Gustav Wilhelm Körber in 1855 and was later taken up by other lichenologists despite periods of disuse.

Distinctive characteristics of species in the Schaereria genus include a crustose to squamulose thallus, ascomata (fruiting bodies) with a blackened ring and a blackish , and asci (spore-bearing cells) that lack (a thickened part of the inner wall near the tip). The secondary chemistry of the genus produces specific substances, including the pigment known as in Schaereria cinereorufa. The genus, having a cosmopolitan distribution, primarily favours cold to cool climates of the Northern Hemisphere. However, certain species have been identified in both polar regions and others in warmer locales like Queensland (Australia). Schaereria species often grow on siliceous rocks, with a few variants being epiphytic (plant-dwelling) or even lichen-dwelling. Various lichenicolous fungi and lichens have been observed to grow on Schaereria species.