Branched Moonwort vs Fly Agaric

Botrychium matricariifolium compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

Branched Moonwort is Extinct while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Branched Moonwort	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Ophioglossaceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Botrychium	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Botrychium matricariifolium	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Branched Moonwort

EX — Extinct

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Branched Moonwort

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada, 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).

Branched Moonwort

The Branched moonwort (Botrychium matricariifolium) is a species in the genus Botrychium. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

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.