Common Rue vs Etruscan Shrew

Ruta graveolens compared with Suncus etruscus

Key Differences

• Common Rue is Not Evaluated while Etruscan Shrew is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Rue	Etruscan Shrew
Kingdom	Plantae (植物)	Animalia (動物)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (被子植物門)	Chordata (脊索動物)
Class	Magnoliopsida (モクレン綱)	Mammalia (哺乳類)
Order	Sapindales (ムクロジ目)	Soricomorpha (トガリネズミ目)
Family	Rutaceae	Soricidae
Genus	Ruta	Suncus
Species	Ruta graveolens	Suncus etruscus

Conservation Status

Common Rue

NE — Not Evaluated

Etruscan Shrew

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Rue	Etruscan Shrew
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Rue

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Japan, Taiwan), Europe (18 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador).

Etruscan Shrew

Habitat

Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found across Asia (Cyprus, Yemen) and Europe (6 countries).

Common Rue

<em>Ruta graveolens</em>, commonly known as common rue or herb-of-grace, is an aromatic, evergreen subshrub in the family Rutaceae. Native to the Balkan Peninsula and southwestern Europe, the species has been widely cultivated and naturalized across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia for centuries. It typically grows in dry, rocky, well-drained soils in sunny positions, and is commonly found in gardens, roadsides, waste ground, and limestone outcrops. The plant produces small yellow-green flowers in dense, flat-topped clusters and distinctive blue-green, strongly aromatic compound leaves containing volatile oils. Common rue has a long history of medicinal and culinary use in Mediterranean cultures, though its essential oils can cause photosensitive skin reactions. The species is not currently evaluated on the IUCN Red List, reflecting limited formal assessment rather than documented threat. It is a hardy plant tolerant of poor soils and drought conditions once established. Pollination is typically carried out by insects attracted to the small but accessible flowers. The plant produces small, lobed seed capsules dispersed primarily by wind and gravity. Biological traits such as average lifespan, body measurements, and detailed dietary interactions remain poorly documented in standardized ecological databases for this species.

Etruscan Shrew

コビトジャコウネズミ（Suncus etruscus）はIUCNレッドリストで軽度懸念（LC）に分類されています。分布域全体で広く分布し豊富で、安定した個体群と差し迫った保全上の懸念はありません。

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇫🇷 France 🇲🇹 Malta 🇪🇸 Spain