Acer Negundo - Cultivation

Cultivation

Although its weak wood, irregular form, and prolific seeding might make it seem like a poor choice for a landscape tree, A. negundo is one of the most common maples in cultivation and many interesting cultivars have been developed, including:

• 'Auratum' - yellowish leaves with smooth undersides
• 'Aureomarginatum' - creamy yellow leaf margins
• 'Baron' - Hardier & seedless variety
• 'Elegans' - distinctively convex leaves
• 'Flamingo' - pink and white variegation (very popular)
• 'Pendulum' - with weeping branches.
• 'Variegatum' - creamy white leaf margins
• 'Violaceum' - younger shoots and branches have bluish colour

Although native to North America, it is considered an invasive species in some areas of that continent. It can quickly colonize both cultivated and uncultivated areas and it has become naturalized in eastern China. The range is therefore expanding both in North America and elsewhere. It can also be found in some of the cooler areas of the Australian continent where it is listed as a pest invasive species. It has also naturalized in the Vistula valley in Poland.

Although its light, close-grained, soft wood is considered undesirable for most uses, this tree has been considered as a commercial source of wood fiber, for use in fiberboard.

There is some commercial use of the tree for various decorative applications, such as turned items (bowls, stem-ware, pens). Primarily burl wood and injured wood, where the primary reason is this wood's reaction to injury, where the injured wood develops a red stain.