Royal helleborine vs Violet Helleborine

Epipactis atrorubens compared with Epipactis purpurata

Key Differences

• Royal helleborine is Critically Endangered while Violet Helleborine is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Royal helleborine	Violet Helleborine
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order same	Asparagales (Asparagales)	Asparagales (Asparagales)
Family same	Orchidaceae	Orchidaceae
Genus same	Epipactis	Epipactis
Species	Epipactis atrorubens	Epipactis purpurata

Evolutionary Relationship

Royal helleborine and Violet Helleborine share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Epipactis.

Conservation Status

Royal helleborine

CR — Critically Endangered

Violet Helleborine

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Royal helleborine	Violet Helleborine
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Royal helleborine

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

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

Violet Helleborine

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden