bigleaf maple
Acer macrophyllum
USDA zones6 to 7
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size40 to 75 feet tall40 to 75 feet wide
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Greenish-yellow
- Foliage color
- Green, red/burgundy
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) is a tree for pollinator gardens, low maintenance plantings, and shade gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 6, or down to -10°F (-23°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and dry to moist soil of most types. It has the largest leaves of all maples, and they often grow more than a foot wide. The leaves turn yellow-orange in fall. Give it a spacious setting, since underplanting is often difficult.
Pairs well with Salal, Autumn fern, and Bottlebrush buckeye.
Native range
British Columbia, California, Oregon, and Washington.