Campylopus moss vs Common Kidney-Vetch

Campylopus pilifer compared with Anthyllis vulneraria

Key Differences

• Campylopus moss is Not Evaluated while Common Kidney-Vetch is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Campylopus moss	Common Kidney-Vetch
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Bryophyta	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Dicranales (Dicranales)	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)
Family	Leucobryaceae	Fabaceae
Genus	Campylopus	Anthyllis
Species	Campylopus pilifer	Anthyllis vulneraria

Evolutionary Relationship

Campylopus moss and Common Kidney-Vetch share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Plantae. (Plants)

Conservation Status

Campylopus moss

NE — Not Evaluated

Common Kidney-Vetch

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Campylopus moss	Common Kidney-Vetch
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Campylopus moss

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (Belgium, Norway, Portugal), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

Common Kidney-Vetch

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Oceanian and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Libya), Asia (Japan), Europe (9 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Campylopus moss

The Campylopus moss (Campylopus pilifer) is a species in the genus Campylopus. Native to Europe and North America and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Common Kidney-Vetch

Common Kidney-Vetch (<em>Anthyllis vulneraria</em>) is a flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae, assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to habitat degradation and agricultural intensification across parts of its range. It is widely distributed across Africa (Libya), Asia (Japan), Europe (nine countries), North America (Canada and the United States), and Oceania (Australia), occupying six distinct biome types and occurring within the Indomalayan and Oceanian biogeographic realms. The species typically grows in dry, calcareous grasslands, coastal cliffs, sand dunes, and rocky slopes, often favoring nutrient-poor soils. It is an important larval food plant for certain butterfly species, particularly the Small Blue butterfly in Europe, and contributes to soil fertility through nitrogen fixation via root nodules. Its cheerful yellow, orange, or red flower heads make it a recognizable component of chalk and limestone grassland communities. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States