Black Maple vs Black Thistle

Acer nigrum compared with Cirsium vulgare

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black Maple	Black Thistle
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Sapindales (Sapindales)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family	Sapindaceae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Acer	Cirsium
Species	Acer nigrum	Cirsium vulgare

Evolutionary Relationship

Black Maple and Black Thistle share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

Black Maple

LC — Least Concern

Black Thistle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black Maple	Black Thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black Maple

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Canada and United States.

Black Thistle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (8 countries), Asia (Israel, Japan, Taiwan), Europe (12 countries), North America (5 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (7 countries).

Black Maple

The Black Maple (Acer nigrum) 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.

Black Thistle

The Black Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is a species in the genus Cirsium. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic an, found across Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, and more.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇦 Canada 🇺🇸 United States