Baeomyces carneus is a species of terricolous and saxicolous (ground- and rock-dwelling), squamulose lichen in the family Baeomycetaceae. It was first scientifically described as a new species in 1821 by the German lichenologist Heinrich Gustav Flörke, in his work Deutsche Lichenen ("German Lichens"). It maintains its original name after two centuries of taxonomic history. The lichen has a circumpolar distribution, typically in coniferous forests but extending north to tundra in North America. It is widely distributed in the boreal forest region of North America, and also occurs in Europe, New Zealand, the West Indies, and Hawaii.