Common Globe-Thistle vs Fly Agaric

Echinops sphaerocephalus compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

• Common Globe-Thistle is Not Evaluated while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Globe-Thistle	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Afrosoricida (Afrosoricida)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Tenrecidae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Echinops	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Echinops sphaerocephalus	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Common Globe-Thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Globe-Thistle	Fly Agaric
Diet	—	Decomposer
Average Lifespan	—	1 years
Average Length	—	20 cm
Average Weight	—	100 g

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).

Fly Agaric

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia).

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.

Fly Agaric

El matamoscas (Amanita muscaria) es uno de los hongos más icónicos y reconocibles de la Tierra, con llamativos sombreros rojos con manchas blancas en los bosques boreales del hemisferio norte. A pesar de su apariencia de cuento de hadas, contiene potentes compuestos psicoactivos como muscimol y ácido iboténico y es moderadamente tóxico. Forma simbiosis micorrícicas esenciales con abedules, pinos y abetos, intercambiando nutrientes minerales por carbono y desempeñando roles fundamentales en el ciclo de nutrientes de los bosques boreales.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

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