Bad-smelling Alkanet vs Melancholy Thistle

Alkanna maleolens compared with Cirsium heterophyllum

Key Differences

• Bad-smelling Alkanet is Critically Endangered while Melancholy Thistle is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Melancholy Thistle
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Boraginales (Boraginales)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family	Boraginaceae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Alkanna	Cirsium
Species	Alkanna maleolens	Cirsium heterophyllum

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Bad-smelling Alkanet

CR — Critically Endangered

Melancholy Thistle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Melancholy Thistle
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.

Melancholy Thistle

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (6 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.