coast amaranth vs Rafflesia

Amaranthus pumilus compared with Rafflesia arnoldii

Key Differences

• coast amaranth is Extinct while Rafflesia is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	coast amaranth	Rafflesia
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)	Rosales (Roses & Allies)
Family	Amaranthaceae	Rosaceae (Rose Family)
Genus	Amaranthus	Rosa (Roses)
Species	Amaranthus pumilus	Rafflesia arnoldii

Evolutionary Relationship

coast amaranth and Rafflesia share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

coast amaranth

EX — Extinct

Rafflesia

EN — Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	coast amaranth	Rafflesia
Diet	—	Parasite
Average Lifespan	—	5 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	11.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

coast amaranth

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Japan.

Rafflesia

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Indonesia and Malaysia. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Rafflesia

Rafflesia arnoldii produces the world's largest individual flower, up to 1 meter in diameter. It is a parasitic plant with no roots, stems, or leaves.