Fly Agaric vs

Amanita muscaria compared with Mollisia ramealis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Leotiomycetes (Leotiomycetes)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Helotiales (Helotiales)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Mollisiaceae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Mollisia
Species	Amanita muscaria	Mollisia ramealis

Evolutionary Relationship

Fly Agaric and share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Fungi. (Fungi)

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

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).

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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.

Mollisia ramealis is a small, grey to olive-grey disc fungus producing cup-shaped apothecia on dead herbaceous and woody plant material. It inhabits temperate forests and hedgerows across Europe, growing on dead twigs and stems. This saprotrophic ascomycete decomposes dead plant tissue in moist forest understory environments.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden