Cutnut vs Fly Agaric

Barringtonia edulis compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

Cutnut is Data Deficient while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cutnut	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Ericales (Ericales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Lecythidaceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Barringtonia	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Barringtonia edulis	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Cutnut

DD — Data Deficient

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cutnut

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).

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.