Lesser Featherwort vs Prickly Featherwort

Plagiochila porelloides compared with Plagiochila spinulosa

Key Differences

• Lesser Featherwort is Critically Endangered while Prickly Featherwort is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Lesser Featherwort	Prickly Featherwort
Kingdom same	Plantae (식물)	Plantae (식물)
Phylum same	Marchantiophyta (우산이끼문)	Marchantiophyta (우산이끼문)
Class same	Jungermanniopsida (망울이끼강)	Jungermanniopsida (망울이끼강)
Order same	Jungermanniales (망울이끼목)	Jungermanniales (망울이끼목)
Family same	Plagiochilaceae	Plagiochilaceae
Genus same	Plagiochila	Plagiochila
Species	Plagiochila porelloides	Plagiochila spinulosa

Evolutionary Relationship

Lesser Featherwort and Prickly Featherwort share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Plagiochila.

Conservation Status

Lesser Featherwort

CR — Critically Endangered

Prickly Featherwort

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Lesser Featherwort	Prickly Featherwort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Lesser Featherwort

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), 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.

Prickly Featherwort

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

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

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden