Bear Root vs Castor

Ligusticum porteri compared with Ricinus communis

Key Differences

• Bear Root is Least Concern while Castor is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bear Root	Castor
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Apiales (Apiales)	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)
Family	Apiaceae	Euphorbiaceae
Genus	Ligusticum	Ricinus
Species	Ligusticum porteri	Ricinus communis

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Bear Root

LC — Least Concern

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bear Root	Castor
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bear Root

Habitat

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

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).

Bear Root

The Bear Root (Ligusticum porteri) is a species in the genus Ligusticum. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. 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