Amanita muscaria varieties: red, yellow and orange fly agarics

Are there yellow fly agarics?

Yes. Amanita muscaria is not always red. In North America there are yellow and orange forms, the best known being var. guessowii, whose cap ranges from pale yellow to bright yellow, orange-yellow or reddish orange.¹ The classic red form of Europe and Asia is var. muscaria.²

Variety	Cap colour	Where it grows	Notes
var. muscaria	Deep to bright red, fading to orangish red or dull orange2	Europe, Asia and western Alaska2	The classic red fly agaric. With conifers and birch2
var. flavivolvata	Red2	Most of North America2	Warts and veil remnants are yellow when young2
var. guessowii	Pale to bright yellow, orange-yellow or reddish orange1	Northern Midwest and north-eastern North America, south to the Appalachians1	The “yellow fly agaric”. With hardwoods and conifers1
var. persicina	Dull reddish orange, fading to peach or orange-yellow3	Mainly the south-eastern United States3	Yellowish cottony warts3

What is Amanita muscaria var. guessowii?

Var. guessowii is the yellow to orange fly agaric of north-eastern North America. It has whitish warts, a ring on the stem and a bulb at the base with concentric bands of veil, like other fly agarics, but a yellow to orange cap.¹

It grows in summer and autumn with hardwoods and conifers, and can appear in great numbers under quaking aspen.¹ A yellow-orange form in the United States is also referred to as var. formosa.⁴

What is Amanita persicina?

Amanita muscaria var. persicina, which people also search for as “Amanita persicina”, is the south-eastern form, with a dull reddish orange cap that fades to peach or orange-yellow. It grows with loblolly pine, Virginia pine and eastern hemlock in summer and autumn.³

Its veil remnants set it apart. At the stem base they form scattered patches and fragments, not the concentric rings seen in the other varieties.³ It is currently kept as a variety of Amanita muscaria, though its classification may change as DNA research continues.³

Is the European fly agaric different from the American one?

Yes, in appearance and range. The European red form, var. muscaria, is largely absent from North America outside western Alaska. Across most of the continent the red fly agaric is var. flavivolvata, whose warts are yellow when young.²

How deep those differences go is still being worked out. DNA studies suggest that the traditional varieties, based on cap and wart colour, do not line up neatly with the mushroom’s real family tree.^1,3 The names in the table are best read as descriptions of what the mushrooms look like, not as settled species boundaries.

Is Nordic Amanita stronger?

That has not been established. Concentrations of ibotenic acid and muscimol vary substantially with a mushroom’s origin, preparation and processing, and there is no standardised analytical method yet.⁵ We have found no reliable published comparison showing that Nordic caps, or caps of any one variety, are consistently stronger.

We prefer to rely on measurement. Every Nordic Nita batch is third-party laboratory tested, and each box carries a QR code that lets you verify the results for your product.

Which variety does Nordic Nita sell?

The classic red one. Nordic Nita’s dried Amanita muscaria caps are harvested in Nordic forests, including Finland and Sweden, where the red var. muscaria grows with conifers and birch.² As a natural product, colour varies between individual caps, from deep red to orange.

Frequently asked questions

Are there yellow fly agarics?

Yes. In north-eastern North America, Amanita muscaria var. guessowii has a pale yellow to orange-yellow cap. The classic red form of Europe and Asia is var. muscaria.

What is Amanita muscaria var. guessowii?

It is the yellow to orange fly agaric of the northern Midwest and north-eastern North America. It has whitish warts, a ring and a banded bulb like other fly agarics, but a yellow to orange cap.

What is Amanita persicina?

It is the form of fly agaric found mainly in the south-eastern United States, classified as Amanita muscaria var. persicina. Its cap is dull reddish orange fading to peach, and the veil remnants at the stem base form scattered patches instead of rings.

Is European Amanita muscaria different from American?

Yes. The red European form, var. muscaria, is largely absent from North America outside western Alaska. Most North American red fly agarics are var. flavivolvata, whose warts are yellow when young.

Is Nordic Amanita muscaria stronger?

That has not been established. Compound levels vary with origin, preparation and processing, and there is no reliable published comparison showing that Nordic caps are consistently stronger.

Related guides

• Amanita muscaria (fly agaric): the complete species guide
• Red and white mushroom: what is the red mushroom with white spots?
• Amanita muscaria look-alikes: how to tell fly agaric from similar mushrooms
• How to buy dried Amanita: what to look for in quality caps
• Types of Amanita: what the Amanita genus is and which species matter
• Where does Amanita muscaria grow? Habitat, range and season
• Amanita muscaria vs psilocybin: is fly agaric a magic mushroom?
• The Christmas mushroom: is Santa Claus linked to fly agaric?
• Berserker mushroom: did Vikings really use fly agaric?
• Can you grow Amanita muscaria?
• How to store dried Amanita: storage and shelf life

Sources

1. Kuo M. (2013). MushroomExpert.Com. Amanita muscaria var. guessowii.
2. Kuo M. MushroomExpert.Com. Amanita muscaria var. muscaria.
3. Kuo M. (2013). MushroomExpert.Com. Amanita muscaria var. persicina.
4. First Nature. Amanita muscaria, Fly Agaric mushroom.
5. Ordak M. (2026). Amanita muscaria in the evolving novel psychoactive substances landscape – toxicological risks and clinical implications: a narrative review. Frontiers in Pharmacology 17: 1838212. doi:10.3389/fphar.2026.1838212