Belly-shaped Hard Grass vs Least Moonwort

Aegilops ventricosa compared with Botrychium simplex

Key Differences

• Belly-shaped Hard Grass is Least Concern while Least Moonwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Belly-shaped Hard Grass	Least Moonwort
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Tracheophyta
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Aegilops	Botrychium
Species	Aegilops ventricosa	Botrychium simplex

Evolutionary Relationship

Belly-shaped Hard Grass and Least Moonwort share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Plantae. (Plants)

Conservation Status

Belly-shaped Hard Grass

LC — Least Concern

Least Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Belly-shaped Hard Grass	Least Moonwort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Belly-shaped Hard Grass

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, France, Netherlands, and United Kingdom.

Least Moonwort

Habitat

Inhabits boreal forests and taiga within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (8 countries) and North America (United States). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Belly-shaped Hard Grass

The Belly-shaped Hard Grass (Aegilops ventricosa) is a species in the genus Aegilops. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇬🇧 United Kingdom