Big-Leaf Maple vs Japanese Cherry

Acer macrophyllum compared with Prunus serrulata

Key Differences

• Big-Leaf Maple is Least Concern while Japanese Cherry is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big-Leaf Maple	Japanese Cherry
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Sapindales (Sapindales)	Rosales (Roses & Allies)
Family	Sapindaceae	Rosaceae (Rose Family)
Genus	Acer	Prunus (Cherries & Plums)
Species	Acer macrophyllum	Prunus serrulata

Evolutionary Relationship

Big-Leaf Maple and Japanese Cherry share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

Big-Leaf Maple

LC — Least Concern

Japanese Cherry

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big-Leaf Maple	Japanese Cherry
Diet	—	Autotroph
Average Lifespan	—	40 years
Average Length	—	10.0 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.

Japanese Cherry

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (7 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Brazil).

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.

Japanese Cherry

The quintessential symbol of spring in Japan, Japanese cherry trees produce transient clouds of white and pink blossom each spring — a cultural event called hanami (flower viewing) celebrated for centuries. Reaching up to 25 meters, they were domesticated from wild Prunus species over a millennium of selective cultivation, producing primarily sterile ornamental varieties that propagate by grafting. Over 200 cultivars are recognized, with Somei Yoshino accounting for the majority of Japan's famous cherry avenues.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇺🇸 United States