Amanita regalis (royal fly agaric): species guide

Amanita regalis at a glance

Latin name	Amanita regalis
Common names	Royal fly agaric, brown fly agaric, king fly agaric2
Cap	10–20 cm across, yellowish-brown to dark brown, with pale veil fragments2,4
Grows with	Mainly spruce, also birch2,3
Habitat	Coniferous and mixed forest, and subalpine birch forest1
Season	July to September in Scandinavia2
Nordic range	Finland, Norway and Sweden; very local in Denmark1
Toxicity	Poisonous, with the same effects as the red fly agaric3,4

What is Amanita regalis?

Amanita regalis, the royal fly agaric, is a northern relative of the fly agaric with a brown cap instead of a red one. Regalis means “royal”.²

Its status has changed over time. Elias Fries described it in 1821 as a form of the fly agaric, and Saccardo kept it as a variety of Amanita muscaria. Edmund Michael first treated it as a species of its own in 1903, and most authorities now recognise it as a separate species.² That is why older books and some brochures still call it Amanita muscaria var. regalis.^3,4 The German Mycological Society named it Mushroom of the Year in 2000.⁶

How do you recognise a royal fly agaric?

Think of a fly agaric in brown. The build is the same: a large cap with pale flakes, white gills, a ring and a swollen base. The colour of the cap is what sets it apart.³

Cap	10–20 cm, egg-shaped when young, then convex and flattening. Glossy brown to yellowish-brown, sticky when wet2,5
Flakes	Yellowish-white remnants of the universal veil. Heavy rain can wash them off2,7
Gills	White, free and crowded, turning pale yellow with age2
Stem	10–25 cm long, white to pale brownish, with a grooved, hanging ring2,5
Base	Swollen, with the volva breaking into rings of scales2,7
Flesh	White, yellowish to brownish just beneath the cap skin. No marked colour change when cut2,5,7
Spores	White print; spores broadly ellipsoid, 8–10 × 6–7 µm, inamyloid2

This guide explains the species. It is not a safe basis for picking or eating any wild mushroom.

Where does the royal fly agaric grow?

It is a northern species. The royal fly agaric is mycorrhizal, mostly with spruce, and also with birch.^2,3 Funga Nordica describes it from coniferous and mixed forests and from subalpine birch forests.¹

Region	What the sources say
Scandinavia	Fairly common; fruits from July to September2
Norway	Common, except in western Norway; often at slightly higher elevations than the red fly agaric3
Finland	Found throughout the country, but rarer than the fly agaric; singly or in groups in spruce-dominated moss forest5
Denmark	Known only from a few localities1
Britain	Formally recorded only a handful of times2
Southern Europe	Rarely seen; the panther cap occurs there instead2

Is the royal fly agaric poisonous?

Yes. It is poisonous, with the same effects as the red fly agaric.^1,3 It contains ibotenic acid, muscimol, muscazone and muscarine, though not always in significant amounts.² The Swedish Poisons Information Centre lists it among the most dangerous poisonous mushrooms in Sweden, with toxins that disturb the nervous system.⁴

Poisonings have happened when people mistook it for an edible mushroom. Doctors in Helsinki described three cases in 1979; one patient had mistaken it for the parasol mushroom.⁶ Parasols always have dark scales on a pale cap, which is the reverse of the royal fly agaric.⁷

How does it differ from the fly agaric and the panther cap?

Species	Cap	Ring and base	Main trees
Royal fly agaric Amanita regalis	10–20 cm, brown2	Grooved ring; base with rings of scales2	Spruce, birch2
Fly agaric Amanita muscaria	6–20 cm, red, sometimes pale orange1	Ring with a yellowish margin; bulb with rings of scales1	Birch, pine, spruce1
Panther cap Amanita pantherina	4–10 cm, yellowish-brown to brown1	Ring not grooved; bulb with a raised rim1	Beech, oak, lime1

For more on how to tell these species apart, see our guide to Amanita muscaria look-alikes and the full Amanita muscaria species guide.

Nordic Nita’s dried royal fly agaric

Nordic Nita sells whole dried caps of Amanita regalis under the species name, in 15 g boxes. We use only young, round caps from Nordic forests, including Finland and Sweden, never stems or mixed material. The caps are temperature-controlled dried at 50 °C, and every batch is third-party laboratory tested for heavy metals and muscimol. See dried Amanita regalis, or compare the three species in the Nordic Nita collection.

Frequently asked questions

What is Amanita regalis?

Amanita regalis, the royal fly agaric, is a northern relative of the fly agaric with a brown cap. It grows mainly with spruce and is common in Scandinavia and Finland.

Is Amanita regalis a variety of Amanita muscaria?

It was long treated as one, but most authorities now recognise it as a separate species. Older books may still call it Amanita muscaria var. regalis.

Is the royal fly agaric poisonous?

Yes. It is poisonous, with the same effects as the red fly agaric. It contains ibotenic acid and muscimol.

Where does the royal fly agaric grow?

In coniferous and mixed forests and subalpine birch forests, mainly with spruce. It is common in Norway, Sweden and Finland but very local in Denmark and Britain.

Related guides

• Amanita pantherina (panther cap): species guide
• Amanita muscaria (fly agaric): the complete species guide
• Types of Amanita: what the Amanita genus is and which species matter
• Amanita muscaria look-alikes: how to tell fly agaric from similar mushrooms
• Where does Amanita muscaria grow? Habitat, range and season

Sources

1. Vesterholt J. (2008). Amanita. In: Knudsen H., Vesterholt J. (eds.), Funga Nordica, pp. 326–333. Nordsvamp.
2. First Nature. Amanita regalis, Brown Fly Agaric.
3. Høiland K. Store norske leksikon. Brun fluesopp.
4. Giftinformationscentralen, Svampkonsulenternas riksförbund. De farligaste giftsvamparna i Sverige!
5. Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto). Brun flugsvamp.
6. Stijve T. (2015). The Royal Fly Agaric, Amanita regalis (Fries) Michael. Mushroom, the Journal.
7. Svampguiden. Royal fly agaric (Amanita regalis).