Branched Moonwort vs Castor

Botrychium matricariifolium compared with Ricinus communis

Key Differences

• Branched Moonwort is Extinct while Castor is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Branched Moonwort	Castor
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)
Family	Ophioglossaceae	Euphorbiaceae
Genus	Botrychium	Ricinus
Species	Botrychium matricariifolium	Ricinus communis

Evolutionary Relationship

Branched Moonwort and Castor share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Plantae. (Plants)

Conservation Status

Branched Moonwort

EX — Extinct

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Branched Moonwort	Castor
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).

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).

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.

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

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States