Initially, botanists considered the tatarian maple and the amur maple to be two distinct plant species, Acer tataricum, and Acer ginnala, respectively. The amur maple has since been reclassified as a subspecies of the tatarian maple, and now holds the official botanical title of Acer tataricum ginnala or Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala. Although this reclassification has occurred, many people may still refer to the amur maple by its old botanical name.