Castor vs Cotton Thistle

Ricinus communis compared with Onopordum acanthium

Key Differences

• Castor is Not Evaluated while Cotton Thistle is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Castor	Cotton Thistle
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	Onopordum
Species	Ricinus communis	Onopordum acanthium

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Cotton Thistle

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Castor	Cotton Thistle
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 Thistle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, among 10 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Georgia, India, Japan), Europe (22 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile). 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 21 countries:

🇦🇷 Argentina 🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇨🇱 Chile 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇪 Estonia 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇳 India 🇯🇵 Japan 🇱🇹 Lithuania 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇿 New Zealand 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States