Castor vs Creeping Spikemoss

Ricinus communis compared with Selaginella apoda

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Castor	Creeping Spikemoss
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Tracheophyta
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Lycopodiopsida (Lycopodiopsida)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Selaginellales (Selaginellales)
Family	Euphorbiaceae	Selaginellaceae
Genus	Ricinus	Selaginella
Species	Ricinus communis	Selaginella apoda

Evolutionary Relationship

Castor and Creeping Spikemoss share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Plantae. (Plants)

Conservation Status

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Creeping Spikemoss

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Castor	Creeping Spikemoss
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).

Creeping Spikemoss

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Chile, Germany, and United States.

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 2 countries:

🇨🇱 Chile 🇺🇸 United States