African elephant vs Common Yellow Wood-Sorrel

Loxodonta africana compared with Oxalis dillenii

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while Common Yellow Wood-Sorrel is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Common Yellow Wood-Sorrel
Kingdom	Animalia (动物界)	Plantae (植物)
Phylum	Chordata (脊索动物门)	Magnoliophyta (木兰植物门)
Class	Mammalia (哺乳動物)	Magnoliopsida (木兰纲)
Order	Proboscidea (长鼻目)	Oxalidales (酢浆草目)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Oxalidaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Oxalis
Species	Loxodonta africana	Oxalis dillenii

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Common Yellow Wood-Sorrel

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Common Yellow Wood-Sorrel
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	65 years	—
Average Length	6.0 m	—
Average Weight	6.0 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

African elephant

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Yellow Wood-Sorrel

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan, Turkey), Europe (23 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

African elephant

非洲象是地球上体型最大的陆地动物，体重可达7,000千克，栖息于撒哈拉以南非洲的草原、稀树草原和森林中。作为关键种，它们通过挖掘水源、传播种子和改变植被结构，深刻塑造了其栖息地的生态系统。受栖息地丧失和象牙盗猎威胁，非洲象的保护至关重要。

Common Yellow Wood-Sorrel

<em>Oxalis dillenii</em>, the common yellow wood sorrel or slender yellow wood sorrel, is a small annual to short-lived perennial herbaceous plant in the family Oxalidaceae. It is native to eastern North America and has been introduced to many parts of Europe, Asia, and other temperate regions, where it occurs as a weed of cultivated ground, roadsides, waste places, lawns, and disturbed habitats. The plant typically grows 10–35 cm tall and produces trifoliate leaves with three notched, heart-shaped leaflets that fold downward in darkness or heat. Small bright yellow flowers with five petals are produced from spring through autumn. The cylindrical seed pods eject seeds forcibly at maturity. Biological traits such as average lifespan and body measurements remain poorly documented in consolidated scientific literature. Like other Oxalis species, <em>Oxalis dillenii</em> contains oxalic acid, giving leaves a sour taste and making them mildly toxic when consumed in large quantities. The plant provides nectar for small generalist pollinators. It has not been formally evaluated for IUCN conservation status but is considered common and widespread with no conservation concerns across its introduced and native ranges.