The lichen was first formally described by Swedish lichenologist Erik Acharius in 1810, as Cornicularia ochroleuca var.

[4] The form Alectoria nigricans f. goemerensis was proposed by Hungarian lichenologist Vilmos Kőfaragó-Gyelnik in 1932.

[1] In 2009, Finnish lichenologists Pekka Halonen, Leena Myllys, Saara Velmala and Heini Hyvärinen proposed the new genus Gowardia, segregated from Alectoria based on phylogeny, morphology, secondary chemistry, ecology and distribution.

[12] A study of the growth rates of various lichens consumed by grazing reindeer in Svalbard showed that Gowardia nigricans has a mean growth rate of 2.43 milligrams per gram, corresponding to a 2.5% seasonal increase in percentage of mass over 10 weeks.

[13] A study has shown that Gowardia nigricans could be useful as an indicator species to monitor air pollution.