Fly Agaric vs Streamside Swordfern

Amanita muscaria compared with Nephrolepis rivularis

Key Differences

Fly Agaric is Least Concern while Streamside Swordfern is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Streamside Swordfern
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Tracheophyta
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Nephrolepidaceae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Nephrolepis
Species	Amanita muscaria	Nephrolepis rivularis

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Streamside Swordfern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Streamside Swordfern
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).

Streamside Swordfern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Colombia, and Cuba.

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.