Alfalfa vs Castor

Medicago sativa compared with Ricinus communis

Key Differences

• Alfalfa is Least Concern while Castor is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alfalfa	Castor
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)
Family	Fabaceae	Euphorbiaceae
Genus	Medicago	Ricinus
Species	Medicago sativa	Ricinus communis

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Alfalfa

LC — Least Concern

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alfalfa

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands, among 11 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Angola, Chad, South Africa), Asia (11 countries), Europe (26 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, Papua New Guinea), and South America (6 countries).

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

The Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a species in the genus Medicago. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands, among 11 distinct biome types. Populations are also.

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 36 countries:

🇦🇴 Angola 🇦🇷 Argentina 🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇹🇩 Chad 🇨🇱 Chile 🇨🇳 China 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇭🇷 Croatia 🇨🇾 Cyprus 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇳 India 🇱🇹 Lithuania 🇲🇽 Mexico 🇳🇵 Nepal 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇰 Pakistan 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea 🇵🇪 Peru 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇶🇦 Qatar 🇷🇴 Romania 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇺🇸 United States 🇾🇪 Yemen