Anemone Smut vs Fly Agaric

Urocystis anemones compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

Anemone Smut is Not Evaluated while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Anemone Smut	Fly Agaric
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Ustilaginomycetes (Ustilaginomycetes)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Urocystidales (Urocystidales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Urocystidaceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Urocystis	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Urocystis anemones	Amanita muscaria

Evolutionary Relationship

Anemone Smut and Fly Agaric share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Basidiomycota. (Club Fungi)

View Phylum: Basidiomycota

Conservation Status

Anemone Smut

NE — Not Evaluated

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Anemone Smut	Fly Agaric
Diet	—	Decomposer
Average Lifespan	—	1 years
Average Length	—	20 cm
Average Weight	—	100 g

Habitat & Geographic Range

Anemone Smut

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Norway, and Sweden.

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).

Anemone Smut

The Anemone Smut (Urocystis anemones) is a species in the genus Urocystis. Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

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.