# Field maple (Acer campestre)

> Britain's only native maple, a neat tree of up to 20 m with small lobed leaves that turn rich gold in autumn and corky-winged twigs. It tolerates clipping, pollution and poor soils, so it is planted as a hedge, a street tree and in parks as often as in woodland. Aphids on its leaves feed ladybirds, hoverflies and birds.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/acer-campestre · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Hedge maple
- Family: Sapindaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, drops leaves
- Mature height: 15 m; spread 10 m
- Growth: Medium growth; lives about 300 years
- USDA hardiness zones: 5 to 8
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Moderate water
- Soil: Any reasonably drained soil; thrives on chalk and clay and tolerates compaction and pollution
- Native range: Native across most of Europe from England and Spain to Poland and Ukraine, into Türkiye, the Caucasus and northern Iran; also in Algeria.

**Benefits:** Fall color, Wildlife, Pollinators, Fits small spaces, Drought tolerant, Long lived

**Good for:** Street tree, Hedgerow, Small yard, parks, Screening

**Watch out for:** No major cautions

## Care

Plant bare-root in winter; water the first summer. Clip hedges in late summer; prune trees in late summer or autumn to avoid bleeding. Generally trouble-free apart from sycamore gall mite and occasional Verticillium wilt from the soil.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** Germany; France; ENG, United Kingdom (Native in England and Wales; planted elsewhere); WLS, United Kingdom; Italy
- **Adapted:** Ireland (Introduced and naturalised per WCVP)
- **Recommended:** Sacramento, CA, United States (On the Sacramento Tree Foundation Shady 80 recommended trees list); San Jose, CA, United States (On the Our City Forest Community Nursery tree species list); Denver, CO, United States (On the Denver Office of the City Forester Approved Street Tree List); Washington, DC, United States (On the Casey Trees Tree Rebate eligible species list); Boston, MA, United States (On the City of Boston Urban Forestry Division recommended public street trees list)

## Sources

- https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/field-maple/
- https://www.gbif.org/species/3189863
- https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=275376
- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/acer-campestre/