Common Spindle vs Fly Agaric

Euonymus europaeus compared with Amanita muscaria

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Spindle	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Plantae (植物)	Fungi (菌界)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (被子植物門)	Basidiomycota (担子菌門)
Class	Magnoliopsida (モクレン綱)	Agaricomycetes (真正担子菌綱)
Order	Celastrales (ニシキギ目)	Agaricales (ハラタケ目)
Family	Celastraceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Euonymus	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Euonymus europaeus	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Common Spindle

LC — Least Concern

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Spindle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand).

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).

Common Spindle

<em>Euonymus europaeus</em>, commonly known as the common spindle, is a deciduous shrub or small tree in the family Celastraceae, native to Europe and western Asia. This species typically inhabits woodland edges, hedgerows, scrubland, calcareous grassland margins, and riverbanks, preferring well-drained soils on chalk and limestone but tolerating a variety of substrates. Its geographic range extends across most of Europe from the British Isles and Scandinavia south to the Mediterranean, and eastward through the Caucasus into western Asia. Classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, <em>Euonymus europaeus</em> maintains stable populations throughout its native range. The species is particularly notable for its striking autumn display of bright pink to crimson four-lobed capsular fruits that split to reveal orange-coated seeds, providing an important food source for robins, blackcaps, and other birds. The seeds are toxic to humans and many mammals. The plant typically grows to 2–6 metres in height and produces small inconspicuous greenish-white flowers in spring. Biological traits such as average individual lifespan, precise body dimensions, and specific weight measurements remain poorly documented at the population level for this shrub. The hard, fine-grained wood has historically been used for making spindles and skewers, giving rise to the common name.

Fly Agaric

ベニテングタケ（Amanita muscaria）は地球上で最も象徴的で広く知られる菌類であり、北半球の北方林全域に白いいぼのある鮮やかな赤い傘を広げる。童話のような外見とは裏腹に、ムシモールやイボテン酸などの強力な向精神性化合物を含み、中程度の毒性がある。シラカバ、マツ、トウヒと重要な外生菌根共生関係を形成し、無機栄養素と炭素を交換することで北方林の栄養循環に不可欠な役割を担っている。