Alpine Rock-Cress vs Common Ivy

Arabis alpina compared with Hedera helix

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Rock-Cress	Common Ivy
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Brassicales (Brassicales)	Apiales (Apiales)
Family	Brassicaceae	Araliaceae
Genus	Arabis	Hedera
Species	Arabis alpina	Hedera helix

Evolutionary Relationship

Alpine Rock-Cress and Common Ivy share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

Alpine Rock-Cress

LC — Least Concern

Common Ivy

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Rock-Cress	Common Ivy
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Rock-Cress

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (10 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and South America (Argentina).

Common Ivy

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate coniferous forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (5 countries), Asia (4 countries), Europe (6 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (7 countries).

Alpine Rock-Cress

The Alpine Rock-Cress (Arabis alpina) is a species in the genus Arabis. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions. Widely distributed across Europe (10 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and South America (Argentina).

Common Ivy

<em>Hedera helix</em>, commonly known as common ivy or English ivy, is a woody evergreen climber and groundcover in the family Araliaceae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with a very wide global distribution across the Palearctic realm and beyond, encompassing temperate and Mediterranean habitats. The species is native to Europe and western Asia and has been widely introduced elsewhere. It typically grows in woodlands, hedgerows, cliffs, walls, and urban green spaces, tolerating deep shade and a wide range of soil conditions. Common ivy provides important ecological services, offering shelter and late-season nectar and fruit resources for wildlife. Diet information for this species is not available in current records. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 8 countries:

🇦🇷 Argentina 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇦 Canada 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States