Beech Mushroom vs Fly Agaric

Hypsizygus tessulatus compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

• Beech Mushroom is Data Deficient while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Beech Mushroom	Fly Agaric
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order same	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Lyophyllaceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Hypsizygus	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Hypsizygus tessulatus	Amanita muscaria

Evolutionary Relationship

Beech Mushroom and Fly Agaric share a common ancestor at the Order level: Agaricales. (Gilled Mushrooms)

Conservation Status

Beech Mushroom

DD — Data Deficient

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Beech Mushroom

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and United States.

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).

Beech Mushroom

The Beech Mushroom (Hypsizygus tessulatus) is a species in the genus Hypsizygus. Its conservation status is listed as Data Deficient, indicating insufficient data for assessment. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States