Gemeiner Wundklee vs Fringed Cup

Anthyllis vulneraria compared with Encoelia fimbriata

Key Differences

Gemeiner Wundklee is Vulnerable while Fringed Cup is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gemeiner Wundklee	Fringed Cup
Kingdom	Plantae (Pflanzen)	Fungi (Pilze)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Ascomycota (Schlauchpilze)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Leotiomycetes (Leotiomycetes)
Order	Fabales (Schmetterlingsblütenartige)	Helotiales (Helotiales)
Family	Fabaceae	Cenangiaceae
Genus	Anthyllis	Encoelia
Species	Anthyllis vulneraria	Encoelia fimbriata

Conservation Status

Gemeiner Wundklee

VU — Vulnerable

Fringed Cup

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gemeiner Wundklee	Fringed Cup
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Fringed Cup

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.