| BIGLEAF MAPLE
BIG LEAF MAPLE
Species
Name: Acer macrophyllum
Family: Aceraceae
(maple family)
Plant Type: Broad-leaf tree
Description:
Tree, height to 90 feet, with a broad,
rounded shape, deciduous with leaves turning yellow in the autumn.
Leaf:
Palmate, opposite, width to 10 inches,
with 3-5 deeply cut, irregularly toothed lobes, surface shiny green but
paler underneath.
 
Flower:
April-May,
bisexual, also separate sexes: develop
in long, drooping clusters of petaled, fragrant, greenish-yellow small
flowers. Flowers appear after
leaves.
Fruit/Seed:
Distinctive paired achenes with wings,
wings spreading <90°.
Typical Location:
Floodplain, streamside, moist shady
areas, riparian zone as well as hillsides outside the riparian zone,
common; elevations below 5,000 feet.
Revegetation Approach:
Container
Key Notes:
Related to the box elder (A. negundo)
and vine maple (A. circinatum). Easily
distinguished by leaf shape.
Notes:
Trees provide shade, shelter and
roosting areas. Seedlings, leaves,
buds, flowers and seeds provide forage for a range of mammals and birds.
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to Riparian Plant List
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