Acer platanoides
Common name:
Norway Maple
Pronunciation:
A-ser plat-an-OY-dez
Family:
Sapindaceae, Aceraceae
Genus:
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Broadleaf deciduous tree, 35-50(75) ft [11-15(23) m] high, dense foliage, broad crown, stout stems. Leaves opposite, simple, 10-18 cm across, 5-lobed, lobes pointed, glossy dark green above, also glossy below often with hairs in axils of veins, milky sap observed when petiole removed. (Compare to other common landscape maples.) Foliage sometimes develops an excellent yellow in fall. Showy clusters of yellow or greenish-yellow flowers in early spring, before leaves open, each flower about 8 mm diam. Large fruit, glabrous, wings wide spreading.
- Sun. Easy to transplant. Adapted to extremes in soils (sand, clay, acid, calcareous). Withstands hot dry conditions better than sugar maple. Tolerates pollution. Shallow root system may compete with turf and lift sidewalks. Over used in some areas.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 4 Native to continental Europe.
- Caution: most selections of Acer platanoides produce large quantities of seeds which can germinate rapidly and crowd out native species. Although not native to North America, Norway Maples have been found in second-growth woodlands near cities, especially in the northeastern U.S.
- Sometimes confused with Acer saccharum, Sugar Maple, see comparison.
-
There have been many selections from this species and a large number are available commercially, Dirr (1998) lists 36 and Jacobson (1996) lists over 45. Some of the more popular selections include:
- ‘Cleveland’ - medium green, upright, oval, dense, 40 × 30 ft (12 × 9 m); yellow fall color.
- ‘Columnare’ - dark green, narrow, upright, ascending branches, 35 × 15 ft (11 × 4.5 m); yellow fall color.
- Conquest™ (‘Conzam’) - purplish red then dark green, columnar, 35 × 8 ft (11 × 2.4 m); red fall color.
- ‘Crimson King’ - deep purple, oval, becoming rounded, 40 × 35 ft (12 × 11 m); maroon to reddish bronze fall color.
- Crimson Sentry™ - deep purple, compact, dense, pyramidal to oval, 25 × 15 ft (7.5 × 4.5 m); maroon to reddish bronze fall color.
- ‘Deborah’ - reddish purple then bronze green, broadly oval to rounded, 45 × 40 ft (14 × 12 m); bronze fall color.
- ‘Drummundii’ - variegated, light green with creamy white margin, broadly oval, 35 × 25 ft (11 × 7.5 m); yellowish fall color.
- Emerald Lustre™ (‘Pond’) - medium green, upright spreading, rounded, 45 × 40 ft (14 × 12 m); yellow fall color.
- ‘Emerald Queen’ - deep green, reddish tint in spring, dense, oval, upright spreading branches, 50 × 40 ft (15 × 12 m); yellow fall color.
- ‘Fairview’ - reddish purple then bronze green, upright oval, 45 × 35 ft (14 × 11 m); yellow gold fall color.
- ‘Globosum’ - medium green, dense, round, short and wide, 15 × 18 ft (4.5 × 5.5 m); yellow fall color.
- Parkway®; (‘Columnarbroad’) - dark green, oval with good central leader, 40 × 25 ft (12 × 7.5 m); yellow fall color.
- ‘Princeton Gold’ - bright yellow, oval, 35 × 30 ft (11 × 9 m); yellow fall color.
- ‘Royal Red’ - deep purple, oval then becoming rounded, 40 × 30 ft (12 × 9 m); maroon to reddish bronze fall color.
- ‘Schwedleri’ - purplish red becoming dark green, 40-50 × 40-50 ft (12-15 × 12-15 m); orange red fall color.
- Summershade® - light green, broad, rounded, 42 × 40 ft (13 × 12 m); yellow fall color.
- ‘Superform’ - medium green, broadly oval to rounded, 45 × 40 ft (14 × 12 m); yellow fall color.
- platanoides: resembling the Plane tree or Sycamore, Platanus
Click image to enlarge
-
plant habit, spring flowering
-
flowers, spring
-
flower
-
plant habit, late spring
-
fruit development
-
plant habit, summer
-
leaves
-
leaves and fruit
-
leaves and fruit
-
leaf, comparison
-
terminal bud, comparison
-
start of fall color change
-
plant habit, fall
-
leaves, fall
-
trunk, bark
-
dormant twigs, buds
-
dormant buds
