Clustered yellowtops vs gray wolf

Flaveria trinervia compared with Canis lupus

Key Differences

Clustered yellowtops is Not Evaluated while gray wolf is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clustered yellowtops	gray wolf
Kingdom	Plantae (植物)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (木兰植物门)	Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class	Magnoliopsida (木兰纲)	Mammalia (哺乳動物)
Order	Asterales (菊目)	Carnivora (食肉目)
Family	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus	Flaveria	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)
Species	Flaveria trinervia	Canis lupus

Conservation Status

Clustered yellowtops

NE — Not Evaluated

gray wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clustered yellowtops	gray wolf
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	13 years
Average Length	—	1.6 m
Average Weight	—	45.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clustered yellowtops

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe), Asia (4 countries), Europe (Belgium), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil).

gray wolf

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Clustered yellowtops

Flaveria trinervia, commonly known as clustered yellowtops, is a fast-growing annual herb in the family Asteraceae. Native to tropical and subtropical regions, it has a remarkably wide distribution spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, where it thrives as a pioneer species in disturbed habitats, roadsides, agricultural margins, and waste ground. The plant typically reaches 30–90 centimeters in height, producing lance-shaped leaves arranged oppositely along branching stems. Its small yellow flower heads are clustered in dense corymbs, giving the species its common name. Flaveria trinervia is notable among plants for utilizing C4 carbon fixation, an efficient photosynthetic pathway that enables rapid growth under warm, high-light conditions with limited water. This metabolic adaptation contributes to its success as a colonizer across diverse tropical and warm-temperate environments. The species is considered Not Evaluated by the IUCN, reflecting its wide range and apparent abundance rather than any formal assessment. Seeds are dispersed by wind, facilitating its spread into new territories. Though not a major agricultural weed, it can establish in cultivated fields. The genus Flaveria, comprising around 23 species, is studied extensively by plant biologists for insights into the evolution of C4 photosynthesis from ancestral C3 pathways.