Bog Beacon vs coast amaranth

Mitrula paludosa compared with Amaranthus pumilus

Key Differences

• Bog Beacon is Near Threatened while coast amaranth is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bog Beacon	coast amaranth
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Leotiomycetes (Leotiomycetes)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Helotiales (Helotiales)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Cenangiaceae	Amaranthaceae
Genus	Mitrula	Amaranthus
Species	Mitrula paludosa	Amaranthus pumilus

Conservation Status

Bog Beacon

NT — Near Threatened

coast amaranth

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bog Beacon	coast amaranth
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bog Beacon

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

coast amaranth

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Japan.

Bog Beacon

The Bog Beacon (Mitrula paludosa) is a species in the genus Mitrula. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

coast amaranth

Coast amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) is an annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae, native to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the eastern United States, where it once grew on coastal foredunes, beach strand, and shell-hash substrates above the high tide line from New York south to South Carolina. It is a low-growing, fleshy plant with small, rounded leaves and inconspicuous green flowers typical of the genus. Coast amaranth is assessed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN, as it has not been reliably documented from wild populations since the mid-20th century; the last confirmed collections date to the 1960s. The species' decline and likely extinction resulted from intense human pressure on Atlantic coastal habitats through shoreline development, beach stabilisation, vehicular traffic on beaches, and increased storm frequency disrupting pioneer dune vegetation. It is federally listed as Threatened in the United States, though this listing predates confirmed extinction in the wild. A small number of ex-situ accessions may exist in botanical garden collections. Genetic material and seed banking efforts represent the only remaining conservation options for this critically reduced species.