The species was described from a solitary part and counterpart type specimen, the holotype samara, number UWBM 31272 which is currently preserved in the paleobotanical collections of the University of Washingtons Burke Museum.

[1] The specimen, recovered from the A0307 site in Republic, was studied by paleobotanists Jack A. Wolfe then of the United States Geological Survey, Denver office and Toshimasa Tanai of Hokkaido University.

Wolfe and Tanai (1987) published their type description for A. spitzi in the Journal of the Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University.

[1] The etymology of the chosen specific name spitzi is a patronym in recognition of Mark Spitz who collected abundant Acer specimens from the Republic flora for study.

[1] The monotypic section Spitza, containing only A. spitzi, was suggested by Wolfe and Tanai (1987) to possibly be a basal relative of Acer sect.

[3] The pollen flora has notable elements of birch and golden larch, and distinct trace amounts of fir, spruce, cypress, and palm.

[2] Wolfe and Tanai (1987) interpreted the forest climate to have been microthermal,[1][4] having distinct seasonal temperature swings which dipped below freezing in the winters.

However further study has shown the lake system was surrounded by a warm temperate ecosystem that likely had a mesic upper microthermal to lower mesothermal climate, in which winter temperatures rarely dropped low enough for snow, and which were seasonably equitable.