Common Mare'S Tail vs four-leaved mare's-tail

Hippuris vulgaris compared with Hippuris tetraphylla

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Mare'S Tail	four-leaved mare's-tail
Kingdom same	Plantae (plantas)	Plantae (plantas)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Lamiales (Lamiales)	Lamiales (Lamiales)
Family same	Plantaginaceae	Plantaginaceae
Genus same	Hippuris	Hippuris
Species	Hippuris vulgaris	Hippuris tetraphylla

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Mare'S Tail and four-leaved mare's-tail share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Hippuris.

Conservation Status

Common Mare'S Tail

VU — Vulnerable

four-leaved mare's-tail

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Mare'S Tail	four-leaved mare's-tail
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Mare'S Tail

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (India), Europe (8 countries), and North America (Canada, United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

four-leaved mare's-tail

Habitat

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

Range

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

Common Mare'S Tail

<em>Hippuris vulgaris</em>, the common mare's tail, is an aquatic vascular plant in the family Plantaginaceae, found across Asia (including India), Europe, and North America. It is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, reflecting population declines associated with wetland drainage, water pollution, and habitat modification. This species typically grows in shallow freshwater habitats including lakes, ponds, rivers, and marshes, forming emergent stands with erect, unbranched stems bearing whorls of narrow leaves. Common mare's tail is often confused with the unrelated horsetail (Equisetum), but belongs to a different plant lineage. It provides important ecological services in aquatic ecosystems, offering shelter for aquatic invertebrates and small fish while helping to stabilize sediments along shorelines. The species is wind-pollinated and produces small, inconspicuous flowers. Its tolerance for cold temperatures enables it to persist in subarctic and alpine freshwater environments. Ongoing wetland loss across its range poses the primary conservation challenge for this species.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇨🇦 Canada 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden