Common Globe-Thistle vs Crab Apple

Echinops sphaerocephalus compared with Malus sylvestris

Key Differences

• Common Globe-Thistle is Not Evaluated while Crab Apple is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Globe-Thistle	Crab Apple
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Afrosoricida (Afrosoricida)	Rosales (Roses & Allies)
Family	Tenrecidae	Rosaceae (Rose Family)
Genus	Echinops	Malus
Species	Echinops sphaerocephalus	Malus sylvestris

Conservation Status

Common Globe-Thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Crab Apple

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Globe-Thistle	Crab Apple
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic 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).

Crab Apple

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including deserts and xeric shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate grasslands and steppes, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (India, Yemen), Europe (9 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Argentina, Brazil). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 7 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States