Big-Leaf Maple vs Coast Sandbur

Acer macrophyllum compared with Cenchrus spinifex

Key Differences

• Big-Leaf Maple is Least Concern while Coast Sandbur is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big-Leaf Maple	Coast Sandbur
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Sapindales (Sapindales)	Poales (Grasses)
Family	Sapindaceae	Poaceae (Grass Family)
Genus	Acer	Cenchrus
Species	Acer macrophyllum	Cenchrus spinifex

Evolutionary Relationship

Big-Leaf Maple and Coast Sandbur share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Magnoliophyta. (Flowering Plants)

Conservation Status

Big-Leaf Maple

LC — Least Concern

Coast Sandbur

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big-Leaf Maple	Coast Sandbur
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
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.

Coast Sandbur

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Libya, South Africa), Asia (Turkey), Europe (Greece, Norway, Romania), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

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.

Coast Sandbur

Coast sandbur (Cenchrus spinifex) is an annual or short-lived perennial grass in the family Poaceae, native to warm coastal regions of the Americas but now widespread as a weed throughout tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including Africa, Australia, and parts of Asia. It grows on coastal dunes, sandy beaches, roadsides, disturbed ground, and the margins of agricultural land. The genus Cenchrus is notable for producing sharp, bur-like seed clusters enclosed in rigid, spine-tipped involucres that readily attach to animal fur, clothing, and footwear for dispersal—a highly effective mechanism for long-distance spread. Coast sandbur is considered a nuisance weed in recreational and agricultural settings due to its painful burs. It is tolerant of salt, drought, and nutrient-poor substrates, making it a successful coloniser of disturbed coastal environments. The IUCN conservation status is Not Evaluated. While not threatened in any way, coast sandbur presents challenges in areas where it has naturalised, competing with native beach and dune vegetation.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇺🇸 United States