Field Foxtail vs Fly Agaric

Alopecurus pratensis compared with Amanita muscaria

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Field Foxtail	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Alopecurus	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Alopecurus pratensis	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Field Foxtail

LC — Least Concern

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Field Foxtail

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (4 countries), Europe (8 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Chile, Colombia).

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).

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 8 countries:

🇨🇱 Chile 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇿 New Zealand 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States