Castor vs Prickly Russian Thistle

Ricinus communis compared with Salsola tragus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Castor	Prickly Russian Thistle
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Euphorbiaceae	Amaranthaceae
Genus	Ricinus	Salsola
Species	Ricinus communis	Salsola tragus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Prickly Russian Thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Castor	Prickly Russian 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).

Prickly Russian Thistle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho, South Africa), Europe (8 countries), and North America (Canada, 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 8 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇸 Lesotho 🇱🇹 Lithuania 🇳🇴 Norway 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States