[5] Caloglossa is a common genus worldwide, and is distributed in littoral zones from tropical to temperate waters.

They can grow in habitats of varying salinity, and may be found growing on stones on marine coasts, in brackish estuaries, epiphytically in saltmarsh and mangrove habitat, and in total freshwater areas.

It was found to have insignificant toxicity while providing a potentially rich nutritional benefit.

King & Puttock (1994) argued that Martens did not formally elevate Caloglossa to genus rank in his 1869 publication, preferring to follow Agardh's 1876 treatment instead.

[9] A mix of morphological and DNA analysis has informed researchers on the phylogeny of the genus.