Accession Count: 0
Common Name:
Japanese maple
Family Name:
Sapindaceae
Botanical Name:
Acer macrophyllum
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
The bigleaf maple is a large tree that typically grows to be 15 m (50 ft) to 30 m (100 ft) tall (1). It has grey to reddish-brown bark, which is deeply creased in mature trees (3). The Bigleaf maple is widely considered to be one of the biggest trees in the maple family, and true to its name, have massive leaves that can measure to be 30 cm (12 in) wide and as long (3, 2). The leaves of the Bigleaf maple are palmate and deeply lobed, with usually 5 lobes, but can occasionally exhibit 3 (2, 3). The leaves and branches of the Bigleaf maple grow in opposite formation, and reach to form a domed, rounded canopy once it reaches maturity (2). The stalks to the leaves, when broken, release a milky sap, and the leaves are a glossy green color during the summer, and turn yellow and orange in autumn (3). The flowers bloom in racemes during late spring and have a greenish-yellow color (3). After the flowers have matured in the autumn, two-winged samaras develop (3).
Compound:
Ace mac
Geographic Origin:
Pacific Northwest US
Ecozone Origin:
Palearctic
Biome Origin:
Natural History:
The native range of this tree spreads across the coasts of British Columbia to southern California, found majorly in moist forests and in riparian areas (3, 4). It grows at low to middle elevations, and tends to grow closer to the Pacific Ocean, not reaching as far as 200 miles inland from the coast (1, 3). The Bigleaf maple can be found across a variety of climates, between temperate rainforests and Mediterranean climate conditions (1). The tree is notably host to a variety of epiphyte plants, which use the decay within the tree bark furrows as substrate (1, 2, 6). This decay builds up a “canopy soil,” which provides nutrients to mosses, lichens, and ferns (2, 6).
Cultivation Notes:
The Bigleaf maple is moderately common in cultivation (5). It grows the best in hardiness zones 6 and 7 and prefers loamy or sandy soils with a slightly acidic pH (3, 5). It has an unusually low frost tolerance compared to other North American maples, as it does not naturally grow where deep soils freeze before snowfall (3, 4). The water demand for this tree is also remarkably high (5).
Ethnobotany:
This plant has been used by Native American tribes along the West Coast for an exceedingly long time. The inner bark was often dried and made into a powder as a thickening agent for soups or bread (7). The leaves were used for serving and storing food, and the sprouted seeds could be eaten (4, 7). The bigleaf maple is also known as the “paddle tree” in many Indigenous languages due to its wood being used to make paddles, as well as other tools (4, 6). Its bark was used to make tonics to soothe sore throats and tuberculosis, and chewing the shoots of the bigleaf maple could aid gastrointestinal problems (4, 6, 7).
Height:
20 - 50 feet
Width:
Growth Rate:
Fast Growing
Grow Season:
Spring
Flower Season:
Spring
Color:
Yellow
Function:
Shade
Spread:
Non-spreading
Allergen:
Invasive:
Benign
Toxicity:
Benign
Hardy:
Hardy
Water Use:
Moderate Water Use
