Chinese Agarwood vs Fly Agaric

Aquilaria sinensis compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

• Chinese Agarwood is Vulnerable while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chinese Agarwood	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Malvales (Malvales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Thymelaeaceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Aquilaria	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Aquilaria sinensis	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Chinese Agarwood

VU — Vulnerable

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chinese Agarwood

Habitat

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

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).

Chinese Agarwood

The Chinese Agarwood (Aquilaria sinensis) is a species in the genus Aquilaria. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.