Slimy-Fruited Stonewort vs Smooth Stonewort

Nitella capillaris compared with Nitella flexilis

Key Differences

• Slimy-Fruited Stonewort is Endangered while Smooth Stonewort is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Slimy-Fruited Stonewort	Smooth Stonewort
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Charophyta (Charophyta)	Charophyta (Charophyta)
Class same	Charophyceae (Charophyceae)	Charophyceae (Charophyceae)
Order same	Charales (Charales)	Charales (Charales)
Family same	Characeae	Characeae
Genus same	Nitella	Nitella
Species	Nitella capillaris	Nitella flexilis

Evolutionary Relationship

Slimy-Fruited Stonewort and Smooth Stonewort share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Nitella.

Conservation Status

Slimy-Fruited Stonewort

EN — Endangered

Smooth Stonewort

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Slimy-Fruited Stonewort	Smooth Stonewort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Slimy-Fruited Stonewort

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Smooth Stonewort

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden