Gemeiner Natterkopf vs Gemeiner Wundklee

Echium vulgare compared with Anthyllis vulneraria

Key Differences

• Gemeiner Natterkopf is Least Concern while Gemeiner Wundklee is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gemeiner Natterkopf	Gemeiner Wundklee
Kingdom same	Plantae (Pflanzen)	Plantae (Pflanzen)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Boraginales (Boraginales)	Fabales (Schmetterlingsblütenartige)
Family	Boraginaceae	Fabaceae
Genus	Echium	Anthyllis
Species	Echium vulgare	Anthyllis vulneraria

Evolutionary Relationship

Gemeiner Natterkopf and Gemeiner Wundklee share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

Gemeiner Natterkopf

LC — Least Concern

Gemeiner Wundklee

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gemeiner Natterkopf	Gemeiner Wundklee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gemeiner Natterkopf

Habitat

Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho, South Africa), Asia (India, Japan, Uzbekistan), Europe (11 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile).

Gemeiner Wundklee

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Oceanian and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Libya), Asia (Japan), Europe (9 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Gemeiner Natterkopf

The Blue Devil (Echium vulgare) is a species in the genus Echium. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Gemeiner Wundklee

Common Kidney-Vetch (<em>Anthyllis vulneraria</em>) is a flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae, assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to habitat degradation and agricultural intensification across parts of its range. It is widely distributed across Africa (Libya), Asia (Japan), Europe (nine countries), North America (Canada and the United States), and Oceania (Australia), occupying six distinct biome types and occurring within the Indomalayan and Oceanian biogeographic realms. The species typically grows in dry, calcareous grasslands, coastal cliffs, sand dunes, and rocky slopes, often favoring nutrient-poor soils. It is an important larval food plant for certain butterfly species, particularly the Small Blue butterfly in Europe, and contributes to soil fertility through nitrogen fixation via root nodules. Its cheerful yellow, orange, or red flower heads make it a recognizable component of chalk and limestone grassland communities. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 11 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇦 Canada 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇯🇵 Japan 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States