Bloody Beard vs Fly Agaric

Usnea mutabilis compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

• Bloody Beard is Not Evaluated while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bloody Beard	Fly Agaric
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Parmeliaceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Usnea	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Usnea mutabilis	Amanita muscaria

Evolutionary Relationship

Bloody Beard and Fly Agaric share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Fungi. (Fungi)

Conservation Status

Bloody Beard

NE — Not Evaluated

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bloody Beard

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across 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).

Bloody Beard

The Bloody Beard (Usnea mutabilis) is a species in the genus Usnea. Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

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 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States