The lichen was formally described as a new species in 2018 by Mahroo Moniri, Hurnisa Shahidin, Mehmet Gökhan Halıcı, and Jan Vondrák.

The type specimen was collected from the western edge of the Kunlun Mountains (at an altitude of 2,840 m (9,320 ft); there, in an alpine desert, it was found growing on the dead wood of Juniperus centrasiatica.

Specifically, when growing on moss (muscicolous), C. orientalis is virtually identical in appearance to the alpine A. saxifragarum.

The thalline exciple (the protective ring around the apothecia) can be seen in younger specimens, and is orange in colour, later becoming less visible.

[2] All collections of the lichen have been made in steppe or desert habitats in Iran, Turkey, and Northwestern China.