Description
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 (including the 3–9 cm 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. campestre var. campestre - downy fruit
- A. campestre var. leiocarpum (Opiz) Wallr. (syn. A. campestre subsp. leiocarpum) - hairless fruit
The closely related Acer miyabei replaces it in eastern Asia.
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Field maple flowers
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Field maple in autumn, France
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Field maple, Germany
Read more about this topic: Acer Campestre
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