Flat Wrack vs Fly Agaric

Fucus spiralis compared with Amanita muscaria

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Flat Wrack	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Chromista (Chromista)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Phaeophyceae (Phaeophyceae)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Fucales (Fucales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Fucaceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Fucus	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Fucus spiralis	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Flat Wrack

LC — Least Concern

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Flat Wrack

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate coniferous forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found across Africa (Morocco) and Europe (9 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).

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 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden