Black Snakeroot vs Fly Agaric

Sanicula marilandica compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

Black Snakeroot is Not Evaluated while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black Snakeroot	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Apiales (Apiales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Apiaceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Sanicula	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Sanicula marilandica	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Black Snakeroot

NE — Not Evaluated

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black Snakeroot

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Distributed across Canada, France, 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).

Black Snakeroot

The Black Snakeroot (Sanicula marilandica) is a species in the genus Sanicula. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.