Hedge maple is a slow growing shrub or small tree in the Sapindaceae (maple) family native to Europe and western Asia. Genus name is the Latin name for a maple tree. Specific epithet means of the fields or open plains. Hedge maple has a rounded mature habit reaching 35 feet tall and wide. Considerable pruning is required and why it is given the common name hedge maple. Plant in rich,well-drained acidic soils in full to partial shade. It is easy to transplant due to a shallow root system. Tolerant of dry soils, compaction and air pollution. The flowers are insignificant and are followed by winged samara. The fall color is yellow but not reliably so. It is a good street tree that casts dense shade and works well under utility lines because it can be severely pruned. This tree supports pollinators and birds and makes an excellent shade tree for a pollinator garden or a recreational play area. It can also be pruned into a screening hedge. It produces many seeds and has the potential to become weedy. Quick ID Hints : Leaves simple, 3-5 palmately lobed Leaf margin entire Leaves concolorous, pubescent below Petiole milky sap Fruit with horizontal wings Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Potential insects are various scale pests, aphids, maple worm, cankerworms, gall and beetles. Potential diseases ate Anthracnose, bacterial leaf scorch, verticillium wilt, canker and powdery mildew. See the fact sheets to the left. VIDEO created by Ryan Contreras for “Landscape Plant Materials I: Deciduous Hardwoods and Conifers or Landscape Plant Materials II: Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University More information on Acer .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
24-60 feet
Mature size
Height: 25 ft. 0 in. - 35 ft. 0 in. | Width: 25 ft. 0 in. - 35 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
2 to 4 in. opposite, simple leaves with 3 to 5 rounded lobes; entire, dull green above, pubescent beneath, 2-4" long; venation palmate; petiole to 4" with milky sap. Sometimes develops yellow to yellow-green fall color late in the season
Flower color
Green; Insignificant
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower detail
Not showy, green, inconspicuous.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Samara
Fruit detail
A schizocarp of two samaras, wings horizontal, nutlet often pubescent.
Bark color
Black; Dark Brown; Dark Gray; Light Brown; Light Gray
Bark detail
Shallow ridges and furrows
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Glabrous, light brown, lenticels. Older stems with longitudinal corky fissures. terminal imbricate, scales grayish-brown to brownish-black, apex often pubescent & chaffy, lateral smaller, appressed.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Europe, Western Asia
Wildlife value
Members of the genus Acer support Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. Attracts butterflies and birds.