Brook Floater vs Ferny Azolla

Alasmidonta varicosa compared with Azolla pinnata

Key Differences

Brook Floater is Vulnerable while Ferny Azolla is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brook Floater	Ferny Azolla
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Tracheophyta
Class	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Unionida (Unionida)	Salviniales (Salviniales)
Family	Unionidae	Salviniaceae
Genus	Alasmidonta	Azolla
Species	Alasmidonta varicosa	Azolla pinnata

Conservation Status

Brook Floater

VU — Vulnerable

Ferny Azolla

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brook Floater	Ferny Azolla
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brook Floater

Habitat

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

Range

Found in United States. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Ferny Azolla

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including deserts and xeric shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and flooded grasslands and savannas spanning the Palearctic and Oceanian realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Asia (Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan), North America (Mexico, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Tuvalu).

Brook Floater

The Brook Floater (Alasmidonta varicosa) is a species in the genus Alasmidonta. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Native to North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.