[2] First described in 1974 by the Norwegian botanist Hildur Krog, it is characterised by its dark grey, irregularly spreading thallus with narrow cylindrical lobes that grow loosely attached to rock surfaces.

It is distinguished from related species by its chemical composition, containing atranorin and physodic acid, and its preference for exposed Arctic–alpine habitats with limited snow cover.

While common in its main Arctic range, its isolated southern populations are of conservation interest due to their rarity and potential vulnerability to climate change.

[3] At the time, it was considered part of a group of similar-looking lichens called the Hypogymnia intestiniformis complex, which included two other species found in Europe.

The separation was based on several distinguishing characteristics, including differences in morphology, spore size, cortical structure, substrate preference, ecology, and distribution patterns.

When present, the apothecia are situated on the surface of the thallus (laminal), reaching up to 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter, with dark brown discs and narrow, even margins.

This scarcity likely reflects the limited true alpine zones in the Appalachians and the more extensive historical coverage of continental ice sheets in eastern North America during the Pleistocene period.

The habitat consists of a mix of exposed rock surfaces, including large glacial erratics, interspersed with heath vegetation and scattered krummholz (stunted windswept trees).

[4] Historical records of the species in the White Mountains and Adirondacks date back to the 1880s and 1933 respectively, though recent surveys have not documented new populations in these areas despite extensive lichenological research in eastern North America.

While the species maintains a broad circumpolar distribution in its main Arctic range, its isolated southern populations in eastern North America are of special conservation interest.

Despite extensive lichenological research in eastern North America over recent decades, no new populations have been documented in the White Mountains or Adirondacks since the original collections from the 1880s and 1933.

The 2022 discovery of a population in Newfoundland represents the first verified eastern North American record in 90 years, highlighting the rarity of these disjunct occurrences.

As an Arctic–alpine species restricted to high-elevation rock surfaces in its southern populations, B. oroarctica could face challenges from climate change, which may affect the environmental conditions that maintain these isolated alpine habitats.

Phacopsis oroarcticae, described from Central Siberia, is known to specifically target this lichen species, causing the host's lobes to become bleached, swollen, and sometimes contorted where infected.

This parasitic relationship appears to be highly specific, as P. oroarcticae has not been found on any other lichen species, and is currently known only from its type locality in the Siberian Arctic, where it was first reported in 2010.