Common Fumitory vs Dense-flowered Fumitory

Fumaria officinalis compared with Fumaria densiflora

Key Differences

• Common Fumitory is Least Concern while Dense-flowered Fumitory is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Fumitory	Dense-flowered Fumitory
Kingdom same	Plantae (plantas)	Plantae (plantas)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Ranunculales (Ranunculales)	Ranunculales (Ranunculales)
Family same	Papaveraceae	Papaveraceae
Genus same	Fumaria	Fumaria
Species	Fumaria officinalis	Fumaria densiflora

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Fumitory and Dense-flowered Fumitory share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Fumaria.

Conservation Status

Common Fumitory

LC — Least Concern

Dense-flowered Fumitory

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Fumitory	Dense-flowered Fumitory
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Fumitory

Habitat

Inhabits temperate broadleaf and mixed forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (4 countries), Europe (18 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), and South America (4 countries).

Dense-flowered Fumitory

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (11 countries), North America (United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Fumitory

<em>Fumaria officinalis</em>, commonly known as common fumitory, is an annual herbaceous plant in the family Papaveraceae. It has a very wide global distribution spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, reflecting its success as a weedy colonizer of disturbed habitats. The species typically grows in cultivated fields, roadsides, gardens, and waste ground, tolerating a broad range of soil types and conditions. <em>Fumaria officinalis</em> produces small pinkish-purple tubular flowers and finely divided, glaucous foliage that gives the plant a delicate, smoke-like appearance — a characteristic reflected in its common name. It is assessed as Least Concern, consistent with its extensive cosmopolitan distribution and abundance in human-modified landscapes. The plant has a long history of use in traditional herbal medicine across parts of its native range. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. Despite its weedy character, <em>Fumaria officinalis</em> provides food resources for certain specialist insects and contributes to ground flora diversity in agricultural and disturbed environments.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 11 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇱 Poland 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States