Translate this page:
Summary
Bloom Color: Green, Yellow.
Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring.Form: Rounded, Spreading or horizontal.
Physical Characteristics
Acer pseudoplatanus is a deciduous Tree growing to 30 m (98ft) by 15 m (49ft) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5. It is in flower from April to June, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Bees.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
UK Hardiness Map
US Hardiness Map
Synonyms
Plant Habitats
Woodland Garden Canopy;
Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Leaves Sap Seedpod
Edible Uses: Sweetener
The sap contains sugar and can be used as a drink or be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water[183]. The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. It can be harvested in late winter but is not produced in economic quantities[2, 4, 13, 105]. About 25 grams of sugar is obtained from a litre of the sap[4]. The sap can also be used to make a wine[183]. The flow is best on warm sunny days following a frost. The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates. The keys of the developing seeds have a sweet exudation on them and this is often sucked by children[183]. The leaves can be wrapped round food such as buns when baking them and they impart a sweet flavour[66]. The related Oregon Maple (Acer macrophyllum) has yellow flower clusters, sweet with nectar, eaten raw[183]. No information was found for this species.
References More on Edible Uses
Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Astringent Vulnerary
The bark has mild astringent properties and has been used to make a wash for skin problems and an eyewash for sore eyes[21]. The inner bark of the tree, containing the sweet sap, can be used as a dressing for wounds[21].
References More on Medicinal Uses
The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books
Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.
Edible Tropical Plants
Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
More
Edible Temperate Plants
Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
More
More Books
PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital formats. Browse the shop for more information.
Shop Now
Other Uses
Charcoal Fuel Pioneer Preservative Shelterbelt Wood
The trees are fast-growing and make a good windbreak for exposed and maritime areas[11, 200]. They are often used in shelterbelt plantings[200]. This species usually self-sows freely and is often the first tree to invade disused farmland, cleared woodland etc. Its ability to tolerate difficult environments make it a good pioneer species for re-establishing woodlands. When grown in Britain it is usually gradually displaced over a period of 200 years or more by native species until it becomes just a minor component of the woodland[K]. The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them[18, 20]. Wood - very hard, heavy, elastic, easy to work, fairly resistant to insects. Used for carving, small domestic items, veneer etc[4, 13, 46, 171]. It is a good fuel and also makes a good charcoal that can be used as a fuel[115].
Special Uses
Food Forest
References More on Other Uses
Cultivation details
Landscape Uses:Firewood, Seashore, Specimen, Street tree. Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil and a sunny position[11, 17], but tolerates most conditions including poor soils and some shade[13, 17, 200]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Chlorosis can sometimes develop as a result of iron deficiency when the plants are grown in alkaline soils, but in general maples are not fussy as to soil pH. Dislikes wet soils[115]. Grows better in the cooler areas of the country[11]. Very wind-resistant, tolerating maritime exposure though it is often wind and salt pruned in very exposed areas[4, 11, 17]. A fairly aggressive tree, it self-sows freely and inhibits the growth of nearby plants[18, 20]. It is often one of the first trees to colonize open land. It is fast growing and establishes rapidly. It can supplant native trees, at least in the short-term, though recent evidence suggests that in the long term it does not usually become the dominant tree in British woodlands and it is often recommended for planting in broad-leaved woods by the Forestry Commission, especially in windy areas[K]. Plants are subject to sooty bark disease - this is not fatal and occurs most often in years that follow hot summers[11]. There are many named forms that have been selected for their ornamental value[200]. Trees take 25 years to come into bearing from seed[98]. Special Features:Not North American native, Naturalizing, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is branching: a heart root, dividing from the crown into several primary roots going down and out [2-1].
References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information
Temperature Converter
Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:
Fahrenheit:
The PFAF Bookshop
Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).
Shop Now
Plant Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the following spring. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 - 4 months at 1 - 8°c. It can be slow to germinate. Seed should not be dried below 35% moisture[98]. The seed can be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it has dried and produced any germination inhibitors) and sown immediately. It should germinate in late winter. If the seed is harvested too soon it will produce very weak plants or no plants at all[80, 113]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions. Layering, which takes about 12 months, is successful with most species in this genus. Cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 - 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter. Cultivars can be budded onto rootstocks of the species. Any grafting is best carried out in September rather than February.
Other Names
If available other names are mentioned here
Native Range
TEMPERATE ASIA: Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia (Ciscaucasia), Georgia EUROPE: Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Former Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy (incl. Sicily), Romania, Spain, France (incl. Corsica), Portugal
Weed Potential
Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section.
Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.
This plant can be weedy or invasive. Connecticut (sycamore maple)- Potentially invasive, banned. Massachusetts
(sycamore maple) is
Prohibited. [1c]
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed.
| Related Plants
|
| Latin Name | Common Name | Habit | Height | Hardiness | Growth | Soil | Shade | Moisture | Edible | Medicinal | Other |
| Acer acuminatum | | Tree | 6.0 |
5-9
| | LMH | SN | M | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Acer argutum | | Tree | 8.0 |
4-8
| | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Acer caesium | | Tree | 15.0 |
5-9
| | LMH | SN | M | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Acer campestre | Field Maple, Hedge maple | Tree | 15.0 |
4-8
| F | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Acer carpinifolium | Hornbeam Maple | Shrub | 10.0 |
4-7
| S | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Acer circinatum | Vine Maple | Tree | 12.0 |
6-9
| S | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Acer crataegifolium | Hawthorn-Leaved Maple | Tree | 10.0 |
5-9
| | LMH | SN | M | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Acer distylum | | Tree | 15.0 |
6-9
| | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Acer ginnala | Amur Maple | Tree | 10.0 |
3-8
| F | LMH | SN | M | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Acer glabrum | Rock Maple, Rocky Mountain maple, Douglas maple, Greene's maple, New Mexico maple, Torrey maple | Tree | 9.0 |
3-8
| S | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Acer interius | Box Elder | Tree | 20.0 |
-
| | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Acer macrophyllum | Oregon Maple, Bigleaf maple, Oregon Maple | Tree | 30.0 |
5-9
| F | LMH | SN | M | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Acer mono | Maple | Tree | 15.0 |
3-8
| S | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Acer negundo | Box Elder | Tree | 21.0 |
3-8
| F | LMH | SN | M | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Acer oblongum | | Tree | 9.0 |
6-9
| | LMH | SN | M | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Acer palmatum | Japanese Maple | Tree | 8.0 |
6-8
| S | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Acer pectinatum | Maple | Tree | 10.0 |
3-6
| S | LMH | SN | M | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Acer pensylvanicum | Moosewood, Striped maple, Moosewood, Pennsylvania Maple | Tree | 4.5 |
3-7
| | LMH | N | M | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Acer platanoides | Norway Maple, Harlequin Maple | Tree | 21.0 |
3-7
| F | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Acer rubrum | Red Maple, Drummond's maple, Swamp Maple | Tree | 30.0 |
4-10
| F | LMH | SN | M | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Acer saccharinum | Silver Maple, River Maple, Soft Maple | Tree | 30.0 |
3-9
| F | LMH | SN | M | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Acer saccharum | Sugar Maple, Florida Maple, Hard Maple, Rock Maple | Tree | 30.0 |
4-8
| S | LMH | SN | M | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Acer saccharum grandidentatum | Big-Tooth Maple, Canyon Maple, Rocky Mountain Sugar Maple | Tree | 12.0 |
5-8
| | LMH | SN | M | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Acer saccharum nigrum | Black Maple | Tree | 25.0 |
4-6
| S | LMH | SN | M | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Acer spicatum | Mountain Maple | Tree | 10.0 |
3-6
| S | LMH | N | M | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Acer sterculiaceum | | Tree | 6.0 |
7-10
| | LMH | SN | M | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Acer tataricum | Tatarian Maple | Tree | 9.0 |
3-7
| M | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Acer truncatum | Shantung Maple, Purpleblow Maple | Tree | 8.0 |
3-8
| S | LMH | SN | M | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Acer ukurunduense caudatum | | Tree | 20.0 |
-
| S | LMH | SN | M | 1 | 0 | 3 |
|
|
Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.
Expert comment
Author
L.
Botanical References
11200
Links / References
For a list of references used on this page please go here
Readers comment