Shrub or small tree 7.4 - 13 m tall, as wide as tall

Leaves: opposite, dark green, 5 - 10 cm wide, hairy beneath, with three to five blunt to rounded lobes. A milky sap is exuded from the stalk. Leaves turn yellow in fall.

Flowers: green, borne in flat-topped clusters.

Fruit: winged (samara), paired, to 3 cm long, with wings spreading 180 degrees.

Bark: grayish black, furrowed.

Twigs: light brown, becoming grayish brown, sometimes developing corky fissures.

Terminal buds: 0.3 - 0.7 cm long, with hairy-tipped, grayish brown to brownish black scales.

Similar species: Acer campestre is distinguished from other maples in the Chicago Region by its blunt to rounded lobes. The other maples of the region have pointed lobes.

Flowering: May

Habitat and ecology: Acer campestre is a landscape plant that rarely escapes cultivation. The species prefers full sun to light shade and is adaptable to dry, compacted soil and air pollution.

Occurence in the Chicago region: non-native

Notes: Acer campestre tolerates heavy pruning and can be used as a hedge in landscapes.

Etymology: Acer comes from a Latin word meaning sharp, which refers to the hardness of the wood. Campestre means "from the plains."

Author: The Morton Arboretum