Alder vs Shade Moonwort

Alnus glutinosa compared with Botrychium tenebrosum

Key Differences

• Alder is Least Concern while Shade Moonwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alder	Shade Moonwort
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Tracheophyta
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Fagales (Beeches & Oaks)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Betulaceae	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Alnus	Botrychium
Species	Alnus glutinosa	Botrychium tenebrosum

Evolutionary Relationship

Alder and Shade Moonwort share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Plantae. (Plants)

Conservation Status

Alder

LC — Least Concern

Shade Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alder	Shade Moonwort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alder

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (India, Japan), Europe (6 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Chile).

Shade Moonwort

Habitat

Inhabits boreal forests and taiga within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Alder

The Alder (Alnus glutinosa) is a species in the genus Alnus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇨🇦 Canada 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States