American dodder vs Castor

Cuscuta americana compared with Ricinus communis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American 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 americana	Ricinus communis

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

American dodder

NE — Not Evaluated

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

American dodder

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Brazil and Colombia.

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).

American dodder

The American dodder (Cuscuta americana) 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 2 countries:

🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇴 Colombia