Dark-Spored Puffball vs Globe Thistle

Lycoperdon atropurpureum compared with Echinops exaltatus

Key Differences

• Dark-Spored Puffball is Endangered while Globe Thistle is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dark-Spored Puffball	Globe Thistle
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Afrosoricida (Afrosoricida)
Family	Lycoperdaceae	Tenrecidae
Genus	Lycoperdon	Echinops
Species	Lycoperdon atropurpureum	Echinops exaltatus

Conservation Status

Dark-Spored Puffball

EN — Endangered

Globe Thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dark-Spored Puffball	Globe Thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dark-Spored Puffball

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Globe Thistle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (13 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States