Rhytisma punctatum was originally described on maples in Eurasia (eg Acer pseudoplatanus). However, this species seems likely to be distinct from the "R punctatum" found on native North American maples. Within North America, this name is applied to both a set of galls found western A macrophyllum/glabrum/circinatum and another on eastern A spicatum/pennsylvanicum; evidence that these two fungi are the same species as each other or the European species is lacking.

Even given this uncertainty, the host range of this species is not precisely delimited. Hsiang and Tian list R punctatum only on Acer macrophyllum and circinatum, and speculate that the Rhytisma on Acer spicatum is americanum or acerinum. Hudler and Jensen-Tracy assert that R punctatum is found on Acer saccharum and pennsylvanicum in North America. Bladmineerders doesn't list Rhytisma punctatum occurring in Europe at all. Corlett and Catling list R punctatum on even more species, including A macrophyllum, pensylvanicum, negundo, rubrum, saccharum, and spicatum. It isn't clear how reliable these reports are.

There is no genetic or morphological evidence that R punctatum occurs on Acer platanoides; this misidentification is commonly made because R acerinum is spotted before coalescing later in the growing season.