Fernleaf Licorice-root vs Fly Agaric

Ligusticum filicinum compared with Amanita muscaria

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fernleaf Licorice-root	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Apiales (Apiales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Apiaceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Ligusticum	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Ligusticum filicinum	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Fernleaf Licorice-root

LC — Least Concern

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fernleaf Licorice-root	Fly Agaric
Diet	—	Decomposer
Average Lifespan	—	1 years
Average Length	—	20 cm
Average Weight	—	100 g

Habitat & Geographic Range

Fernleaf Licorice-root

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.