Ciliate Crystalwort vs floating crystalwort

Riccia crozalsii compared with Riccia fluitans

Key Differences

• Ciliate Crystalwort is Vulnerable while floating crystalwort is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ciliate Crystalwort	floating crystalwort
Kingdom same	Plantae (نباتات)	Plantae (نباتات)
Phylum same	Marchantiophyta (نباتات كبدية)	Marchantiophyta (نباتات كبدية)
Class same	Marchantiopsida (كبدانية)	Marchantiopsida (كبدانية)
Order same	Marchantiales (كبديات)	Marchantiales (كبديات)
Family same	Ricciaceae	Ricciaceae
Genus same	Riccia	Riccia
Species	Riccia crozalsii	Riccia fluitans

Evolutionary Relationship

Ciliate Crystalwort and floating crystalwort share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Riccia.

Conservation Status

Ciliate Crystalwort

VU — Vulnerable

floating crystalwort

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Ciliate Crystalwort	floating crystalwort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ciliate Crystalwort

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, and Portugal. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

floating crystalwort

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (7 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Chile). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Ciliate Crystalwort

Ciliate crystalwort (Riccia crozalsii) is a thalloid liverwort in the family Ricciaceae, classified as Vulnerable in Europe. It grows as a flat, strap-like or rosette-forming thallus, typically in damp, disturbed or ephemeral habitats such as the margins of seasonal pools, rutted tracks, and temporarily flooded ground with sparse vegetation cover. The species is characterized by thallus margins fringed with fine cilia-like teeth, which give it its common name. Riccia crozalsii is found in Mediterranean and Atlantic regions of Europe, with records from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and parts of the British Isles, though populations are generally sparse and localized. It tends to appear in winter and spring when suitable wet conditions prevail, and the thallus desiccates or disappears during dry summer months. The species is assessed as Vulnerable due to the loss and degradation of its specialized ephemeral wetland habitats, driven by drainage, agricultural intensification, and altered hydrological regimes across Europe. As with many liverworts dependent on wet, open habitats, Riccia crozalsii has experienced declines in regions where traditional low-intensity land management practices have been abandoned. Monitoring and protection of ephemeral pool and wetland margins are key conservation actions for this species.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway