A street tree whose leaf stalks bleed milky sap when squeezed and whose leaves have five lobes with a few pointed teeth
Norway maple.
Nature · Trees
Norway maple
Introduced (neophyte, 17th century) · deciduous, to 25 m · streets, parks and plantations
Acer platanoides — Sapindaceae
Norway maple is a tall, widely planted street and park tree, introduced to Britain from central and eastern Europe in the seventeenth century. Its five-lobed leaves with pointed teeth and its milky leaf-stalk sap separate it from sycamore. It is very tolerant of compacted soil, shade and pollution.
How to know it
How to spot them
- ▸Five-lobed palmate leaves with a few pointed teeth, fading to yellow and sometimes red
- ▸Leaf stalks ooze milky sap when squeezed
- ▸Grey bark with fine ridges; slender brown twigs with tiny white spots
- ▸Bright green flowers in clusters of up to 30 in spring
- ▸Winged seeds (samaras) held at a wider angle than sycamore's
How to know it
Introduced to Britain in the 17th century from central and eastern Europe
Norway maple.
Its winged seeds are set at a wider angle than the similar sycamore's
Norway maple.
The most common tree in Toronto, Canada
Norway maple.
Can be tapped for syrup like other maples, but its bark is stripped by grey squirrels
Norway maple.
Yellow to red autumn colour, bright green spring flowers, and a tolerance for shade and pollution that makes it a city favourite
Norway maple (Acer platanoides).
Quick-fire facts
- •Acer platanoides: platanoides means plane-like, for the leaves
- •Woodland Trust: introduced to the UK in the 17th century from central and eastern Europe
- •Milky sap from squeezed leaf stalks is the classic test
- •Seed wings are at a wider angle than sycamore's (Woodland Trust)
- •It is the most common tree in Toronto, Canada
- •Timber is similar to sycamore but rarely grown commercially because grey squirrels strip the bark
- •Can be tapped for syrup
- •Affected by verticillium wilt and honey fungus; vulnerable to horse chestnut scale and leaf miner
Drill it — 7 cards
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Sources
- Woodland Trust — Norway maple (Acer platanoides)