cohune palm vs Common Globe-Thistle

Attalea cohune compared with Echinops sphaerocephalus

Key Differences

• cohune palm is Endangered while Common Globe-Thistle is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	cohune palm	Common Globe-Thistle
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Arecales (Arecales)	Afrosoricida (Afrosoricida)
Family	Arecaceae	Tenrecidae
Genus	Attalea	Echinops
Species	Attalea cohune	Echinops sphaerocephalus

Conservation Status

cohune palm

EN — Endangered

Common Globe-Thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	cohune palm	Common Globe-Thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

cohune palm

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Found in Colombia. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Globe-Thistle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (19 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia).

cohune palm

The Cohune Palm (Attalea cohune), also known as the Corozo or Manaca Palm, is a large, solitary feather palm in the family Arecaceae, native to the lowland forests and forest margins of Central America, from southern Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. It produces enormous pinnate fronds up to 10 metres in length and stands 10–20 metres tall, dominating the forest canopy in areas where it occurs. The cohune palm is among the most useful wild palms of Mesoamerica: its large fruits yield a hard-shelled nut containing cohune oil, a white semi-solid fat historically used for cooking, soap manufacture, and as a cosmetic. Palm hearts from young plants are edible; fronds are used for thatching traditional dwellings; and the hard endocarp shells serve as fuel and for crafting buttons and ornaments. The species grows abundantly on deep, humid soils in forest and successional habitats, and its density is often used as an indicator of high-quality agricultural soils by local farming communities. The IUCN classifies Attalea cohune as Endangered, reflecting historical deforestation and ongoing land conversion across its Central American range. Despite this listing, it remains locally common in some areas and shows some resilience in secondary forest.

Common Globe-Thistle

<em>Echinops sphaerocephalus</em>, commonly known as the common globe-thistle or great globe-thistle, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae. The species has a distribution spanning Europe, North America, and Oceania, with naturalization in several regions outside its native southern and central European range. <em>Echinops sphaerocephalus</em> typically inhabits dry, open, and disturbed habitats including roadsides, waste ground, rocky slopes, and steppe grasslands, where it is well adapted to poor, well-drained soils. It produces distinctive spherical, steel-blue flower heads that are highly attractive to pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, making it a valued plant in native garden planting and ecological restoration. The species is not currently evaluated for conservation status. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. <em>Echinops sphaerocephalus</em> is a robust, spiny plant that can grow to considerable height and spreads readily in suitable open habitats. Its ornamental qualities and pollinator value have contributed to its deliberate planting in gardens and public green spaces beyond its native range.