Bad-smelling Alkanet vs Collared Mosscap

Alkanna maleolens compared with Rickenella swartzii

Key Differences

• Bad-smelling Alkanet is Critically Endangered while Collared Mosscap is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Collared Mosscap
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Boraginales (Boraginales)	Hymenochaetales (Hymenochaetales)
Family	Boraginaceae	Rickenellaceae
Genus	Alkanna	Rickenella
Species	Alkanna maleolens	Rickenella swartzii

Conservation Status

Bad-smelling Alkanet

CR — Critically Endangered

Collared Mosscap

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Collared Mosscap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bad-smelling Alkanet

Habitat

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

Collared Mosscap

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Bad-smelling Alkanet

The Bad-smelling Alkanet (Alkanna maleolens) is a species in the genus Alkanna. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Collared Mosscap

The Collared Mosscap, known scientifically as <em>Rickenella swartzii</em>, is a small fungus belonging to the family Repetobasidiaceae within the order Agaricales. <em>Rickenella swartzii</em> is characterised by its diminutive fruiting bodies, which typically feature a small, convex to umbilicate cap and a slender stipe. The species typically grows in mossy substrates, on forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil, where it plays a role in nutrient cycling as a saprotrophic or potentially mycorrhizal organism. It is reported to occur in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, reflecting a distribution across parts of northern Europe. Detailed biological traits including typical lifespan measures and physical dimensions are poorly documented for this fungal species in available literature. The Collared Mosscap is currently assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it is not considered to be at significant risk of global population decline.