coast amaranth vs Wax flower

Amaranthus pumilus compared with Hoya australis

Key Differences

• coast amaranth is Extinct while Wax flower is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	coast amaranth	Wax flower
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)	Gentianales (Gentianales)
Family	Amaranthaceae	Apocynaceae
Genus	Amaranthus	Hoya
Species	Amaranthus pumilus	Hoya australis

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

coast amaranth

EX — Extinct

Wax flower

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	coast amaranth	Wax flower
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

coast amaranth

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Japan.

Wax flower

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Marshall Islands, Tonga, and United States.

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.