It was formally described as a new species in 1849 by Italian botanist Giuseppe De Notaris.

[4] Buellia schaereri has a thin, effuse, pale grey thallus.

It has dark brown to black apothecia that measure 0.2–0.3 mm in diameter, with a flat to convex disc.

The ascospores it makes are smooth and thin-walled with a single septum and typical dimensions of 6–10 by 2.5–4 μm.

Pycnidia are visible as tiny (50–70 μm) black specks on the thallus surface; they are often numerous.