brittlestar vs Clearweed

Amphiura filiformis compared with Pilea fontana

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	brittlestar	Clearweed
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Echinodermata (Echinoderms)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Ophiuroidea (Ophiuroidea)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Amphilepidida (Amphilepidida)	Rosales (Roses & Allies)
Family	Amphiuridae	Urticaceae
Genus	Amphiura	Pilea
Species	Amphiura filiformis	Pilea fontana

Conservation Status

brittlestar

LC — Least Concern

Clearweed

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	brittlestar	Clearweed
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

brittlestar

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Clearweed

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Canada and United States.

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.

Clearweed

Clearweed, Pilea pumila, is a small, annual herb in the family Urticaceae native to moist, shaded habitats across eastern North America and eastern Asia, including the eastern United States, Canada, eastern China, Japan, and Korea. The species grows in dense colonies in wet woodland, stream banks, floodplain forests, and moist disturbed ground, often forming carpets on rich, moist mineral soils in deeply shaded forest understories. The common name refers to the translucent, watery stems and smooth, bright green leaves, which give the plant an almost glassy appearance. Like its relative stinging nettle, Clearweed is a member of the nettle family but lacks the stinging hairs, making it harmless to touch. The leaves are opposite, broadly ovate with toothed margins, and the plants bear inconspicuous tiny greenish flowers that are wind-pollinated, releasing pollen in small explosive bursts. Clearweed provides food for a variety of insects and invertebrates in moist forest understory communities. The species is not considered threatened and is common across its native range, thriving in the disturbed, humid conditions found along stream margins and in second-growth forest habitats. It is occasionally weedy in gardens and greenhouses.