The species is threatened by habitat loss, pollution, and changing hydrological regimes.

[1] Phaeophyscia leana is discerned from similar species by having "elongate, strap-shaped lobes, faintly maculate upper surface, lack of soredia, and the paraplectenchymatous, pale lower cortex.

"[3] The lichen was first discovered on the bark of a tree by Thomas Lea near Cincinnati, Ohio in 1839.

It is extant in six states, including Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee.

[1] The specific epithet honors Thomas Lea, a notable collector of cryptogams in the Cincinnati area who discovered the type specimen.