Alternate Water Milfoil vs Bracted Water-Milfoil

Myriophyllum alterniflorum compared with Myriophyllum verticillatum

Key Differences

• Alternate Water Milfoil is Near Threatened while Bracted Water-Milfoil is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alternate Water Milfoil	Bracted Water-Milfoil
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Saxifragales (Saxifragales)	Saxifragales (Saxifragales)
Family same	Haloragaceae	Haloragaceae
Genus same	Myriophyllum	Myriophyllum
Species	Myriophyllum alterniflorum	Myriophyllum verticillatum

Evolutionary Relationship

Alternate Water Milfoil and Bracted Water-Milfoil share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Myriophyllum.

Conservation Status

Alternate Water Milfoil

NT — Near Threatened

Bracted Water-Milfoil

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alternate Water Milfoil	Bracted Water-Milfoil
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alternate Water Milfoil

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries) and North America (Canada, United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Bracted Water-Milfoil

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate grasslands and steppes, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Turkey), Europe (6 countries), and North America (Canada, United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Alternate Water Milfoil

The Alternate Water Milfoil (Myriophyllum alterniflorum) is a species in the genus Myriophyllum. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Bracted Water-Milfoil

The Bracted water-milfoil (Myriophyllum verticillatum) is a species in the genus Myriophyllum. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate grasslands and steppes, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 8 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇦 Canada 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States