Big-Leaf Maple vs Least Moonwort

Acer macrophyllum compared with Botrychium simplex

Key Differences

• Big-Leaf Maple is Least Concern while Least Moonwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big-Leaf Maple	Least Moonwort
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Tracheophyta
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Sapindales (Sapindales)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Sapindaceae	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Acer	Botrychium
Species	Acer macrophyllum	Botrychium simplex

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Big-Leaf Maple

LC — Least Concern

Least Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big-Leaf Maple	Least Moonwort
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.

Least Moonwort

Habitat

Inhabits boreal forests and taiga within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (8 countries) and North America (United States). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇺🇸 United States