Lobaria was originally described as a section of the eponymous genus Lichen by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1786.

[3] In 2013, the concept of family Lobariaceae was revised with the help of molecular phylogenetics, and, in addition to the creation of several new genera, Ricasolia was promoted to generic status.

[8] A Lobaria-associated actinobacterium, Subtercola lobariae, was isolated from L. retigera collected from the Jiaozi Snow Mountain in Yunnan Province, China.

The evidence suggests that the paleoclimate and the closing or opening of the Bering Strait played a significant role in determining the distribution of most Lobaria species.

[21] The ethyl acetate extract of Lobaria orientalis collected in Central Vietnam led to the isolation of new β-orcinol depsidones, lobarientalones A and B, and several diphenyl ethers, lobariethers A–E.