Big Leaf Maple, Acer macrophyllum

About Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) 49 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) is quite a large deciduous tree. Its trunk can get up to 3 feet in diameter. It is native to western North America, mostly near the Pacific coast, from southernmost Alaska south to Southern California. Some stands are also found inland in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California, and a tiny population occurs in central Idaho.

It is winter deciduous, featuring large palmate leaves typical of maples. It produces nice fall color where temperatures become cold enough. It is very fast growing but may be too large for most residential gardens.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Tree

Size

30 - 114.8 ft tall
65 ft wide

Form

Upright, Rounded, Upright Columnar

Growth Rate

Fast

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Flower Color

Yellow, Pink

Flowering Season

Spring, Winter

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 confirmed

, 85 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Maple Seed Caterpillar Proteoteras aesculanaProteoteras aesculana

Chionodes lectorChionodes lector

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulusPapilio rutulus

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopaNymphalis antiopa

Polyphemus moth Antheraea polyphemusAntheraea polyphemus

Elegant Sheepmoth Hemileuca eglanterinaHemileuca eglanterina

Brown-lined Looper Neoalcis californiariaNeoalcis californiaria

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture

Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation

Keep moist

Nurseries

Carried by 49

Ease of Care

moderately easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 5° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Prefers clay or loamy soil, tolerates sandy soil. Tolerates Serpentine Soil. Soil PH: 5.5 - 7.5

Common uses

Bird Gardens, Deer Resistant, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants

Other large trees: Western Sycamore (Platanus racemosa), White Alder (Alnus rhombifolia), Cottonwood (Populus species), Bay Laurel (Umbellularia californica) Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa), and Red Fir (Abies magnifica)

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: 1.5-2 mos. stratification; use fresh seeds.

Sunset Zones?

1, 2, 3, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Streambanks and canyons where it will receive abundant moisture. Adjacent to chaparral, grassland, woodland or pine forest

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 5.8" - 133.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 4.51", Coldest Month: 29.4" - 58.4", Hottest Month: 47.3" - 87.1", Humidity: 0.01" - 37.68", Elevation: 3" - 8910"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Bigleaf Maple, Oregon Maple

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Big Leaf Maple

Acer macrophyllum

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Big Leaf MapleAcer macrophyllum

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Big Leaf Maple

Acer macrophyllum