Bad-smelling Alkanet vs Cramp Balls

Alkanna maleolens compared with Daldinia concentrica

Key Differences

• Bad-smelling Alkanet is Critically Endangered while Cramp Balls is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Cramp Balls
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)
Order	Boraginales (Boraginales)	Xylariales (Xylariales)
Family	Boraginaceae	Hypoxylaceae
Genus	Alkanna	Daldinia
Species	Alkanna maleolens	Daldinia concentrica

Conservation Status

Bad-smelling Alkanet

CR — Critically Endangered

Cramp Balls

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Cramp Balls
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.

Cramp Balls

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.