Castor vs Cotton Burdock

Ricinus communis compared with Arctium tomentosum

Key Differences

• Castor is Not Evaluated while Cotton Burdock is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Castor	Cotton Burdock
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family	Euphorbiaceae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Ricinus	Arctium
Species	Ricinus communis	Arctium tomentosum

Evolutionary Relationship

Castor and Cotton Burdock share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Cotton Burdock

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Castor	Cotton Burdock
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).

Cotton Burdock

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 8 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan), Europe (10 countries), and North America (Canada, United States). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 9 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇴 Romania 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States