Castor vs Small-leaf spiderwort

Ricinus communis compared with Tradescantia fluminensis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Castor	Small-leaf spiderwort
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Commelinales (Commelinales)
Family	Euphorbiaceae	Commelinaceae
Genus	Ricinus	Tradescantia
Species	Ricinus communis	Tradescantia fluminensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Castor and Small-leaf spiderwort share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Magnoliophyta. (Flowering Plants)

Conservation Status

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Small-leaf spiderwort

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Castor	Small-leaf spiderwort
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).

Small-leaf spiderwort

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Eswatini, Kenya, South Africa), Asia (5 countries), Europe (13 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (5 countries).

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 26 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇴 Bolivia 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇱 Chile 🇭🇷 Croatia 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇮🇳 India 🇮🇹 Italy 🇯🇵 Japan 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇿 New Zealand 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇾 Paraguay 🇵🇪 Peru 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇷🇴 Romania 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇹🇷 Turkey 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States