Bad-smelling Alkanet vs Common Oak

Alkanna maleolens compared with Quercus robur

Key Differences

• Bad-smelling Alkanet is Critically Endangered while Common Oak is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Common Oak
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Boraginales (Boraginales)	Fagales (Beeches & Oaks)
Family	Boraginaceae	Fagaceae (Beech Family)
Genus	Alkanna	Quercus (Oaks)
Species	Alkanna maleolens	Quercus robur

Evolutionary Relationship

Bad-smelling Alkanet and Common Oak share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

Bad-smelling Alkanet

CR — Critically Endangered

Common Oak

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Common Oak
Diet	—	Autotroph
Average Lifespan	—	1000 years
Average Length	—	25.0 m
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bad-smelling Alkanet

Habitat

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

Common Oak

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho, South Africa), Asia (Armenia, India), Europe (8 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (4 countries).

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.

Common Oak

One of Europe's most important and widespread deciduous trees, the pedunculate oak can live over 1,000 years, reach 40 meters, and support the greatest biodiversity of any European tree species — over 2,300 species of insects, fungi, lichens, mosses, and birds directly depend on mature oaks. Found across Europe to western Asia in temperate forests, its hard, durable wood has been foundational to shipbuilding, architecture, and barrel making throughout history.