Baltic Stonewort vs Common Stonewort

Chara baltica compared with Chara vulgaris

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Baltic Stonewort	Common Stonewort
Kingdom same	Plantae (plantas)	Plantae (plantas)
Phylum same	Charophyta (Charophyta)	Charophyta (Charophyta)
Class same	Charophyceae (Charophyceae)	Charophyceae (Charophyceae)
Order same	Charales (Charales)	Charales (Charales)
Family same	Characeae	Characeae
Genus same	Chara	Chara
Species	Chara baltica	Chara vulgaris

Evolutionary Relationship

Baltic Stonewort and Common Stonewort share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Chara.

Conservation Status

Baltic Stonewort

EN — Endangered

Common Stonewort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Baltic Stonewort	Common Stonewort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Baltic Stonewort

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

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

Common Stonewort

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (Denmark, Norway, Sweden), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Baltic Stonewort

The Baltic Stonewort (Chara baltica) is a species in the genus Chara. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Common Stonewort

<em>Chara vulgaris</em>, the common stonewort, is a species of charophyte green alga in the family Characeae, order Charales. It typically grows submerged in freshwater habitats including ponds, lakes, ditches, and slow-moving streams, often forming dense mats on the substrate. The species has a broad geographic distribution spanning Asia, Europe, and the Americas, tolerating a range of water conditions from clear to moderately turbid. <em>Chara vulgaris</em> is notable for its heavily calcified, whorled structure that gives stoneworts their characteristic encrusted appearance and makes them valuable as paleoclimate indicators in sediment records. As a primary producer, it contributes to aquatic food webs and provides habitat for invertebrates and juvenile fish. Biological traits such as individual lifespan, precise growth rates, and specific consumer relationships remain poorly documented in the literature. Despite its wide range, <em>Chara vulgaris</em> is assessed as Endangered by the IUCN, reflecting significant population declines attributed to freshwater pollution, eutrophication, and habitat degradation across much of its range. Targeted conservation of clean, oligotrophic water bodies is essential for its persistence.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden