Castor vs Collared Mosscap

Ricinus communis compared with Rickenella swartzii

Key Differences

Castor is Not Evaluated while Collared Mosscap is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Castor	Collared Mosscap
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Hymenochaetales (Hymenochaetales)
Family	Euphorbiaceae	Rickenellaceae
Genus	Ricinus	Rickenella
Species	Ricinus communis	Rickenella swartzii

Conservation Status

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Collared Mosscap

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Castor	Collared Mosscap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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).

Collared Mosscap

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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

Collared Mosscap

The Collared Mosscap, known scientifically as <em>Rickenella swartzii</em>, is a small fungus belonging to the family Repetobasidiaceae within the order Agaricales. <em>Rickenella swartzii</em> is characterised by its diminutive fruiting bodies, which typically feature a small, convex to umbilicate cap and a slender stipe. The species typically grows in mossy substrates, on forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil, where it plays a role in nutrient cycling as a saprotrophic or potentially mycorrhizal organism. It is reported to occur in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, reflecting a distribution across parts of northern Europe. Detailed biological traits including typical lifespan measures and physical dimensions are poorly documented for this fungal species in available literature. The Collared Mosscap is currently assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it is not considered to be at significant risk of global population decline.