Fly Agaric vs Glabrous Catsear

Amanita muscaria compared with Hypochaeris glabra

Key Differences

Fly Agaric is Least Concern while Glabrous Catsear is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Glabrous Catsear
Kingdom	Fungi (เห็ดรา)	Plantae (พืช)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Magnoliopsida (พืชใบเลี้ยงคู่)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Asterales (อันดับทานตะวัน)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Hypochaeris
Species	Amanita muscaria	Hypochaeris glabra

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Glabrous Catsear

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Glabrous Catsear
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).

Glabrous Catsear

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 12 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (India, Japan, Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), North America (4 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.