Cloncurry vs coast amaranth

Cenchrus pennisetiformis compared with Amaranthus pumilus

Key Differences

  • Cloncurry is Least Concern while coast amaranth is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Cloncurry coast amaranth
Kingdom same Plantae (Plants) Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants) Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class Liliopsida (Monocots) Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order Poales (Grasses) Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family Poaceae (Grass Family) Amaranthaceae
Genus Cenchrus Amaranthus
Species Cenchrus pennisetiformis Amaranthus pumilus

Evolutionary Relationship

Cloncurry and coast amaranth share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Magnoliophyta. (Flowering Plants)

Conservation Status

Cloncurry

LC — Least Concern

coast amaranth

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Cloncurry coast amaranth
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cloncurry

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Australia.

coast amaranth

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Japan.

Cloncurry

Cloncurry refers to a plant species associated with the Cloncurry region of northwest Queensland, Australia, a semi-arid landscape dominated by Mitchell grass plains, brigalow scrub, and seasonally flooded floodplains of the Flinders and Cloncurry river systems. The Cloncurry district supports a distinctive assemblage of dryland plants adapted to the extreme temperatures, irregular rainfall, and heavy cracking clay soils of the inland tropics. Plants of this region include drought-tolerant grasses, spinifex, mulga acacia, and various annual and perennial wildflowers adapted to boom-and-bust cycles of rainfall. The region's flora reflects both the antiquity of Australian arid-adapted lineages and more recent connections to tropical flora via monsoon rainfall pulses. Several endemic or near-endemic plant species have been recorded from the Cloncurry area, reflecting the biogeographic distinctiveness of the Mount Isa Inlier geological formation which underlies much of this region. Conservation pressures include pastoral grazing, feral animals, invasive pasture grasses, and changes in fire regimes that affect native plant community structure.

coast amaranth

Coast amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) is an annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae, native to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the eastern United States, where it once grew on coastal foredunes, beach strand, and shell-hash substrates above the high tide line from New York south to South Carolina. It is a low-growing, fleshy plant with small, rounded leaves and inconspicuous green flowers typical of the genus. Coast amaranth is assessed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN, as it has not been reliably documented from wild populations since the mid-20th century; the last confirmed collections date to the 1960s. The species' decline and likely extinction resulted from intense human pressure on Atlantic coastal habitats through shoreline development, beach stabilisation, vehicular traffic on beaches, and increased storm frequency disrupting pioneer dune vegetation. It is federally listed as Threatened in the United States, though this listing predates confirmed extinction in the wild. A small number of ex-situ accessions may exist in botanical garden collections. Genetic material and seed banking efforts represent the only remaining conservation options for this critically reduced species.

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