[3] However, its taxonomic status was uncertain for many years due to the existence of several earlier generic names that potentially had priority.

[3] The proposal was based on a revised generic concept of Graphidaceae presented by the German lichenologist Bettina Staiger, which for the first time provided a detailed analysis of the taxonomic relationships between genera in the family, using both morphological and molecular data.

[4] This conservation was particularly important because Phaeographis represents the second largest genus in the family Graphidaceae, containing approximately 150 species.

[3][4] The genus Phaeographis consists of crustose lichens, characterised by their thin, often inconspicuous thallus, which adheres closely to the substrate.

In European species, the hyphae within the thallus react to iodine staining (I+) by turning blue, indicating the presence of specific starch-like compounds.

[5] The reproductive structures of Phaeographis are apothecia, which are fruiting bodies that vary in form from unbranched to branched or star-like (stellate).