Common Feverfew vs Fly Agaric

Tanacetum parthenium compared with Amanita muscaria

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Feverfew	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Tanacetum	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Tanacetum parthenium	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Common Feverfew

LC — Least Concern

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Feverfew

Habitat

Inhabits Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Cyprus, India, Japan), Europe (27 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (6 countries).

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).

Common Feverfew

Common Feverfew (<em>Tanacetum parthenium</em>) is a flowering herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Tanacetum within the family Asteraceae. It is characterised by its aromatic foliage and clusters of small daisy-like flowers with white ray petals surrounding yellow disc florets. The species typically inhabits Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm, and is also often found in disturbed habitats, roadsides, walls, and garden margins. Its geographic range is exceptionally wide, spanning Asia including Cyprus, India, and Japan, 27 European countries, North America including Canada, Mexico, and the United States, Australia, and multiple South American countries. <em>Tanacetum parthenium</em> is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The plant has a long history of medicinal use, particularly in the treatment of migraines and fevers, from which its common name derives. Biological traits including average lifespan and detailed ecological data remain poorly documented in the scientific literature, though it typically grows as a short-lived perennial or biennial.

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.