Hedge Maple

A dense, rounded deciduous tree from Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, often as wide as it is tall, reaching 25 to 45 feet. The leaves are smaller than most maples: five rounded, unpointed lobes, 5 to 10 cm across, dark green, yielding milky sap from the petiole when snapped. Flowers are small, greenish, in upright pubescent clusters in April to May. Samaras have horizontally spreading wings, about 5 cm long. Fall color is clean gold to yellow. Growth rate is fast for a maple. Centuries of use as a hedgerow plant in Europe show in its response to pruning: it takes shearing and repeated cutting without decline.

Hardy to Zone 4. Full sun to full shade. Tolerates clay, compaction, drought, salt spray, air pollution, and a pH range from 4.5 to 8.5. The shallow, fibrous root system competes with turf and underplantings. Three cultivars are in the trade: 'Carnival' (8 to 10 feet, variegated), 'Nanum' (6 feet, dwarf), and 'Panacek'. Nineteen diseases and fifteen pests documented; Verticillium wilt is the serious risk. The rest (anthracnose, powdery mildew, tar spots) are seasonal and cosmetic on established trees.