Big-Leaf Maple vs Bristlecone Pine

Acer macrophyllum compared with Pinus longaeva

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big-Leaf Maple	Bristlecone Pine
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Coniferophyta (Conifers)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Pinopsida (Conifers)
Order	Sapindales (Sapindales)	Pinales (Pines & Allies)
Family	Sapindaceae	Pinaceae (Pine Family)
Genus	Acer	Pinus (Pines)
Species	Acer macrophyllum	Pinus longaeva

Evolutionary Relationship

Big-Leaf Maple and Bristlecone Pine share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Plantae. (Plants)

View Kingdom: Plantae

Conservation Status

Big-Leaf Maple

LC — Least Concern

Bristlecone Pine

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big-Leaf Maple	Bristlecone Pine
Diet	—	Autotroph
Average Lifespan	—	5000 years
Average Length	—	15.0 m
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Big-Leaf Maple

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Canada, Ireland, and United States.

Bristlecone Pine

Habitat

Typically found in temperate and boreal forests, often at higher elevations.

Range

Found in United States.

Big-Leaf Maple

The Big-Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) is a species in the genus Acer. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Bristlecone Pine

The oldest known living individual tree on Earth, the Great Basin bristlecone pine can live over 5,000 years in the harsh, windswept subalpine environments of the White Mountains of California and the Great Basin region. Their extreme longevity is linked to slow metabolism, dense resinous wood resistant to decay and insects, and harsh high-altitude conditions that limit competition. Tree ring records from bristlecone pines have provided an invaluable climate proxy record extending back thousands of years.