Alfalfa dodder vs Castor

Cuscuta approximata compared with Ricinus communis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alfalfa dodder	Castor
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Solanales (Solanales)	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)
Family	Convolvulaceae	Euphorbiaceae
Genus	Cuscuta	Ricinus
Species	Cuscuta approximata	Ricinus communis

Evolutionary Relationship

Alfalfa dodder and Castor share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

Alfalfa dodder

NE — Not Evaluated

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alfalfa dodder	Castor
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alfalfa dodder

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (China, Tajikistan), Europe (Hungary, Sweden), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia).

Castor

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (33 countries), Asia (26 countries), Europe (23 countries), North America (15 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (14 countries), and South America (12 countries).

Alfalfa dodder

The Alfalfa dodder (Cuscuta approximata) is a species in the genus Cuscuta. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Castor

The Castor (Ricinus communis) is a species in the genus Ricinus. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and hi

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia 🇨🇳 China 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States