Alpine Bladder-fern vs Fly Agaric

Cystopteris alpina compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

Alpine Bladder-fern is Near Threatened while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Bladder-fern	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Cystopteridaceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Cystopteris	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Cystopteris alpina	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Alpine Bladder-fern

NT — Near Threatened

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Bladder-fern	Fly Agaric
Diet	—	Decomposer
Average Lifespan	—	1 years
Average Length	—	20 cm
Average Weight	—	100 g

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Bladder-fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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).

Alpine Bladder-fern

The Alpine Bladder-fern (Cystopteris alpina) is a species in the genus Cystopteris. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies. Distributed across Norway and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Fly Agaric

Among the most iconic and recognizable fungi on Earth, fly agaric mushrooms display striking red caps with white flecked warts across boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite their fairy-tale appearance, they contain potent psychoactive compounds including muscimol and ibotenic acid and are moderately toxic. They form critical mycorrhizal symbioses with birch, pine, and spruce trees, exchanging mineral nutrients for carbon and playing essential roles in boreal forest nutrient cycling.