Branched Moonwort vs brittlestar

Botrychium matricariifolium compared with Amphiura filiformis

Key Differences

• Branched Moonwort is Extinct while brittlestar is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Branched Moonwort	brittlestar
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Echinodermata (Echinoderms)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Ophiuroidea (Ophiuroidea)
Order	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)	Amphilepidida (Amphilepidida)
Family	Ophioglossaceae	Amphiuridae
Genus	Botrychium	Amphiura
Species	Botrychium matricariifolium	Amphiura filiformis

Conservation Status

Branched Moonwort

EX — Extinct

brittlestar

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Branched Moonwort	brittlestar
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Branched Moonwort

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

brittlestar

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Branched Moonwort

The Branched moonwort (Botrychium matricariifolium) is a species in the genus Botrychium. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

brittlestar

The Brittlestar (Amphiura filiformis) is a species in the genus Amphiura. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden