Common Milkweed vs European hare

Asclepias syriaca compared with Lepus europaeus

Key Differences

• Common Milkweed is Not Evaluated while European hare is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Milkweed	European hare
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Gentianales (Gentianales)	Lagomorpha (Rabbits & Hares)
Family	Apocynaceae	Leporidae (Rabbits & Hares)
Genus	Asclepias	Lepus
Species	Asclepias syriaca	Lepus europaeus

Conservation Status

Common Milkweed

NE — Not Evaluated

European hare

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Milkweed	European hare
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Milkweed

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan), Europe (25 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

European hare

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 7 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (10 countries), North America (4 countries), and South America (8 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Common Milkweed

Common Milkweed (<em>Asclepias syriaca</em>) is a native North American flowering plant in the genus <em>Asclepias</em>, family Apocynaceae. It is widely distributed across Europe, Asia, and North America, with confirmed presence in countries including Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Canada. Its range extends to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia and spans 25 European countries. The species is typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats, from temperate grasslands and roadsides to disturbed fields and forest edges. Common Milkweed is best known as a critical host plant for the monarch butterfly (<em>Danaus plexippus</em>), whose larvae feed exclusively on milkweed foliage. The plant produces fragrant pink-purple flower clusters and distinctive large seed pods filled with silky fibers that disperse seeds on the wind. Its milky latex sap contains cardiac glycosides that deter most herbivores. The conservation status of this species has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN, though its populations remain broadly widespread.

European hare

European hare (Lepus europaeus) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 9 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇦 Canada 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States