Castor vs Yellow Dodder

Ricinus communis compared with Cuscuta campestris

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Castor	Yellow Dodder
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Solanales (Solanales)
Family	Euphorbiaceae	Convolvulaceae
Genus	Ricinus	Cuscuta
Species	Ricinus communis	Cuscuta campestris

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Castor

NE — Not Evaluated

Yellow Dodder

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Castor	Yellow Dodder
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).

Yellow Dodder

Habitat

Inhabits montane grasslands and shrublands and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (22 countries), Asia (22 countries), Europe (33 countries), North America (Canada), Oceania and the Pacific (Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Samoa), and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile).

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 53 countries:

🇦🇫 Afghanistan 🇦🇱 Albania 🇩🇿 Algeria 🇦🇷 Argentina 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso 🇨🇱 Chile 🇨🇳 China 🇨🇩 Congo (DRC) 🇭🇷 Croatia 🇨🇾 Cyprus 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇪 Estonia 🇪🇹 Ethiopia 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇬🇳 Guinea 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇮🇩 Indonesia 🇮🇷 Iran 🇮🇶 Iraq 🇮🇱 Israel 🇮🇹 Italy 🇰🇮 Kiribati 🇱🇸 Lesotho 🇱🇹 Lithuania 🇲🇬 Madagascar 🇲🇾 Malaysia 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands 🇳🇦 Namibia 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇷🇴 Romania 🇼🇸 Samoa 🇸🇨 Seychelles 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇪🇸 Spain 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste 🇹🇷 Turkey 🇺🇬 Uganda 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇾🇪 Yemen 🇿🇲 Zambia 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe