Greater Featherwort vs Killarney Featherwort

Plagiochila asplenioides compared with Plagiochila bifaria

Key Differences

• Greater Featherwort is Vulnerable while Killarney Featherwort is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Greater Featherwort	Killarney Featherwort
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)
Class same	Jungermanniopsida (Jungermanniopsida)	Jungermanniopsida (Jungermanniopsida)
Order same	Jungermanniales (Jungermanniales)	Jungermanniales (Jungermanniales)
Family same	Plagiochilaceae	Plagiochilaceae
Genus same	Plagiochila	Plagiochila
Species	Plagiochila asplenioides	Plagiochila bifaria

Evolutionary Relationship

Greater Featherwort and Killarney Featherwort share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Plagiochila.

Conservation Status

Greater Featherwort

VU — Vulnerable

Killarney Featherwort

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Greater Featherwort	Killarney Featherwort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Greater Featherwort

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Killarney Featherwort

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 within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Colombia, Luxembourg, Norway, and Portugal. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway