Castor vs Shade Moonwort

Ricinus communis compared with Botrychium tenebrosum

Key Differences

• Castor is Not Evaluated while Shade Moonwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Castor	Shade Moonwort
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Tracheophyta
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Euphorbiaceae	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Ricinus	Botrychium
Species	Ricinus communis	Botrychium tenebrosum

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Shade Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Castor	Shade Moonwort
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).

Shade Moonwort

Habitat

Inhabits boreal forests and taiga within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and 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 3 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States