Branched Moonwort vs coast amaranth

Botrychium matricariifolium compared with Amaranthus pumilus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Branched Moonwort	coast amaranth
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Ophioglossaceae	Amaranthaceae
Genus	Botrychium	Amaranthus
Species	Botrychium matricariifolium	Amaranthus pumilus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Branched Moonwort

EX — Extinct

coast amaranth

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Branched Moonwort	coast amaranth
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).

coast amaranth

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Japan.

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.

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.