Alpine Bilberry vs coast amaranth

Vaccinium uliginosum compared with Amaranthus pumilus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Bilberry	coast amaranth
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Ericales (Ericales)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Ericaceae	Amaranthaceae
Genus	Vaccinium	Amaranthus
Species	Vaccinium uliginosum	Amaranthus pumilus

Evolutionary Relationship

Alpine Bilberry and coast amaranth share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

Alpine Bilberry

EX — Extinct

coast amaranth

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Bilberry	coast amaranth
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Bilberry

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (8 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

coast amaranth

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Japan.

Alpine Bilberry

The Alpine Bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) is a species in the genus Vaccinium. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions. Found across Europe (8 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

coast amaranth

Coast amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) is an annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae, native to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the eastern United States, where it once grew on coastal foredunes, beach strand, and shell-hash substrates above the high tide line from New York south to South Carolina. It is a low-growing, fleshy plant with small, rounded leaves and inconspicuous green flowers typical of the genus. Coast amaranth is assessed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN, as it has not been reliably documented from wild populations since the mid-20th century; the last confirmed collections date to the 1960s. The species' decline and likely extinction resulted from intense human pressure on Atlantic coastal habitats through shoreline development, beach stabilisation, vehicular traffic on beaches, and increased storm frequency disrupting pioneer dune vegetation. It is federally listed as Threatened in the United States, though this listing predates confirmed extinction in the wild. A small number of ex-situ accessions may exist in botanical garden collections. Genetic material and seed banking efforts represent the only remaining conservation options for this critically reduced species.