Broad-Leaved Elm vs Coastal wattle

Ulmus glabra compared with Acacia cyclops

Key Differences

• Broad-Leaved Elm is Vulnerable while Coastal wattle is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Broad-Leaved Elm	Coastal wattle
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Rosales (Roses & Allies)	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)
Family	Ulmaceae	Fabaceae
Genus	Ulmus	Acacia
Species	Ulmus glabra	Acacia cyclops

Evolutionary Relationship

Broad-Leaved Elm and Coastal wattle share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

Broad-Leaved Elm

VU — Vulnerable

Coastal wattle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Broad-Leaved Elm	Coastal wattle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Broad-Leaved Elm

Habitat

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

Range

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

Coastal wattle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (13 countries), Asia (Israel), Europe (4 countries), and North America (United States).

Broad-Leaved Elm

The Broad-Leaved Elm (Ulmus glabra) is a species in the genus Ulmus. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Coastal wattle

Coastal wattle (Acacia cyclops) is a dense, fast-growing shrub in the family Fabaceae, native to the southwestern and southern coastal regions of Western Australia, from Shark Bay south to the Nullarbor Plain. It grows on coastal dunes, sandy scrubland, and limestone substrates near the sea, where it tolerates salt spray, wind, and summer drought. Coastal wattle produces distinctive circular seeds with bright red arillate coatings, making them highly attractive to birds. Although valued in its native range for coastal stabilisation and revegetation, the species has become highly invasive in southern Africa, particularly South Africa, where it was introduced for dune stabilisation in the 19th century and has since spread extensively across the Cape Floristic Region, displacing native fynbos vegetation. It is listed among the 100 worst invasive species globally by the IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group. In Australia, it is assessed as Least Concern. Management of invasive populations in South Africa involves mechanical removal and biological control efforts aimed at protecting the critically threatened fynbos biome.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇵🇹 Portugal 🇺🇸 United States