Bloodwort vs Common Foxglove

Achillea millefolium compared with Digitalis purpurea

Key Differences

• Bloodwort is Least Concern while Common Foxglove is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bloodwort	Common Foxglove
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)	Lamiales (Lamiales)
Family	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Plantaginaceae
Genus	Achillea	Digitalis
Species	Achillea millefolium	Digitalis purpurea

Evolutionary Relationship

Bloodwort and Common Foxglove share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

Bloodwort

LC — Least Concern

Common Foxglove

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bloodwort	Common Foxglove
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bloodwort

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 11 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (4 countries), Europe (10 countries), North America (5 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (4 countries).

Common Foxglove

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Zimbabwe), Asia (5 countries), Europe (16 countries), North America (4 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (5 countries).

Bloodwort

The Bloodwort (Achillea millefolium) is a species in the genus Achillea. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 11 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Neotropic and Palearctic real

Common Foxglove

<em>Digitalis purpurea</em> is a biennial or short-lived perennial plant in the family Plantaginaceae, order Lamiales, commonly known as common foxglove. This species is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant and has been naturalized broadly across the globe, with presence documented across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America. <em>Digitalis purpurea</em> typically grows in open woodlands, woodland clearings, hillsides, and disturbed ground, particularly on acidic, well-drained soils. In its first year, the plant forms a rosette of large, softly hairy leaves; in its second year it produces a tall flower spike, often exceeding one meter, bearing distinctive tubular, purple-pink flowers with spotted throats. The flowers are adapted for pollination by bumblebees. The plant contains potent cardiac glycosides, particularly digitoxin and digoxin, compounds that have been critically important in the development of heart failure medications. Despite its medicinal importance, the plant is toxic if ingested. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 17 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇦 Canada 🇨🇱 Chile 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇫🇮 Finland 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇯🇵 Japan 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇺🇸 United States