common greasewort vs Common Sundew

Aneura pinguis compared with Drosera rotundifolia

Key Differences

• common greasewort is Least Concern while Common Sundew is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	common greasewort	Common Sundew
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Jungermanniopsida (Jungermanniopsida)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Metzgeriales (Metzgeriales)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Aneuraceae	Droseraceae
Genus	Aneura	Drosera
Species	Aneura pinguis	Drosera rotundifolia

Evolutionary Relationship

common greasewort and Common Sundew share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Plantae. (Plants)

Conservation Status

common greasewort

LC — Least Concern

Common Sundew

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	common greasewort	Common Sundew
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

common greasewort

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

Common Sundew

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (8 countries), and North America (Canada, United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

common greasewort

<em>Aneura pinguis</em>, commonly known as common greasewort, is a liverwort belonging to the genus Aneura within the family Aneuraceae. This cryptogamic plant inhabits ecosystems across Asia, Europe, and North America, thriving in moist or waterlogged environments. Its range encompasses Taiwan in Asia, six European countries, the United States in North America, and Brazil and Colombia in South America, indicating a broad geographic distribution across multiple continents. Common greasewort is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The species typically forms flat, ribbon-like thalli in damp habitats such as stream banks, wet rocks, and boggy ground. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Common Sundew

<em>Drosera rotundifolia</em>, the common sundew, is a carnivorous flowering plant in the family Droseraceae, order Caryophyllales. It has a broad distribution spanning Europe, Asia, and North America, typically growing in sphagnum bogs, wet heathlands, and other nutrient-poor, acidic wetland habitats where it compensates for low soil nutrient availability by trapping and digesting insects. The round leaves bear red, glandular tentacles tipped with sticky mucilage that immobilize prey, which is then digested by enzymes secreted from the leaf surface. <em>Drosera rotundifolia</em> produces small white flowers on a slender scape, pollinated by insects. It plays a minor but ecologically interesting role in controlling insect populations within its boggy habitat. Biological traits including typical individual lifespan, precise leaf dimensions, and detailed prey composition remain poorly documented. The species is assessed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, reflecting significant population declines across much of its range driven primarily by drainage and destruction of peatland habitats, atmospheric nitrogen deposition, and climate change altering the hydrology of bog ecosystems. Effective peatland conservation is critical for the long-term survival of this species.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 7 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇺🇸 United States