Field maple

Appearance

It is a deciduous tree reaching 15–25 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m in diameter, with finely fissured, often somewhat corky bark. The shoots are brown, with dark brown winter buds. The leaves are in opposite pairs, 5–16 cm long petiole) and 5–10 cm broad, with five blunt, rounded lobes with a smooth margin. Usually monoecious, the flowers are produced in spring at the same time as the leaves open, yellow-green, in erect clusters 4–6 cm across, and are insect-pollinated. The fruit is a samara with two winged achenes aligned at 180°, each achene is 8–10 mm wide, flat, with a 2 cm wing.

The two varieties, not accepted as distinct by all authorities, are:
⤷ ''A. c.'' var. ''campestre'' - downy fruit
⤷ ''A. c.'' var. ''leiocarpum'' Wallr. - hairless fruit

The closely related ''Acer miyabei'' replaces it in eastern Asia.

Distribution

The native range of field maple includes much of Europe, including Denmark, Poland and Belarus, England north to southern Scotland , southwest Asia from Turkey to the Caucasus, and north Africa in the Atlas Mountains. In many areas, the original native range is obscured by widespread planting and introductions. In North America it is known as hedge maple and in Australia, it is sometimes called common maple. In Nottinghamshire, England it was known locally as dog oak.

Habitat

Field maple is an intermediate species in the ecological succession of disturbed areas; it typically is not among the first trees to colonise a freshly disturbed area, but instead seeds in under the existing vegetation. It is very shade-tolerant during the initial stages of its life, but it has higher light requirements during its seed-bearing years. It exhibits rapid growth initially, but is eventually overtaken and replaced by other trees as the forest matures. It is most commonly found on neutral to alkaline soils, but more rarely on acidic soil.

Diseases include a leaf spot fungus ''Didymosporina aceris'', a mildew ''Uncinula bicornis'', a canker ''Nectria galligena'', and verticillium wilt ''Verticillium alboatrum''. The leaves are also sometimes damaged by gall mites in the genus ''Aceria'', and the aphid ''Periphyllus villosus''.