Acer macrophyllum - Big Leaf Maple

Acer macrophyllum, also known as the Big Leaf Maple, is a beautiful tree native to the west coast of the U.S.A, especially Oregon. This majestic deciduous tree, one of the largest in the Acer genus, is remarkable for the immense size of its leaves and its clusters of fragrant flowers followed by decorative winged fruits that last through winter. Like many maples, it has beautiful coppery-brown autumn colours. Cold-resistant, it will only do well in deep, moist to wet soils. This beautiful tree is at its best in a park or large garden.

Acer macrophyllum, belonging to the family Aceraceae, is distributed from Alaska to California. It can be found along rivers, in woods and valleys, always in deep, rich, moist to wet soils. It is a deciduous tree that loses its leaves in autumn. Growing rapidly, it will reach an average height of 12m (39.5 ft) and form a dense, rounded crown of 6-8m (20-26 ft) spread in our gardens. Its brown bark is covered in square patches. The hairless, green branches are covered with small round marks called lenticels. The young  bronze-green leaves unfurl in April, at the same time as the flowers. The adult foliage consists of long leaves, 15 to 30cm (5.9 - 11.8 in) in length, divided into 3 to 5 lobes. The fine leaf blade is a shiny dark green colour on the upper side, and a lighter colour on the underside. Each leaf is attached to the branch by a green and red petiole, 15-30cm (5.9 - 11.8 in) long, containing a milky sap. The first frosts of autumn turn the foliage a coppery-brown or bronze. The quite spectacular spring flowering, is made up of fragrant, pale yellow, pendulous clusters, 20 to 30cm (7.9 - 11.8 in) long. This is followed by winged fruits, samaras, 4 to 7cm (1.6 - 2.8 in) long, grouped in pendant clusters. The sweet sap of this maple is harvested in February in the United States for maple syrup production.

Acer macrophyllum will make a very beautiful free-standing specimen in a large garden. It is a species that prefers moist, rich soils, and should thrive in regions with an oceanic climate, and year-round rainfall. It is also valuable for landscaping gardens where the soil is consistently damp. Superb as a specimen tree, it will also look good combined with deciduous euonymus, a ‘Orange Retz’ hornbeam, hawthorns, ornamental apple trees, etc. Plant shade-loving perennials (lamium, Epimedium, Geranium macrorrhizum, Ophipogon planiscapus ‘Niger’) at its base to enhance its presence.