Growth form: Norway Maple is a larger tree that is 40-60 feet tall.
Leaves, twigs, and bark: Leaves of Norway Maple are simple, opposite, and entire, typically 4 to 8 inches long, with pinnate venation and oval or elliptical shape. In fall, leaves turn a pale, golden yellow. Twigs are stout and gray. Bark is dark grayish-brown, often with reddish scales. Twigs are tyipcally stout.
Leaves of Norway Maple #375, showing opposite leaf arrangement, 5-7 lobes, toothed ends and palmate veins. (Photos by A. Holmes 11/7/2019)
Bark of Norway Maple Tree #531, showing ridges. (Photo by A. Holmes 11/7/2019)
Flowers: Norway Maples bloom in April and May. Their flowers are small and yellowish-green. They are in clusters and each individual flower is less than half of an inch long. Pollinators thrive on the flowers, specifically bees.
Yellow flowers of Norway Maple (New York Invasive Species, 2019).
Fruit of the Norway maple- doubly winged samaras (Virginia Tech Dendrology, 2019).
Fruits: Norway Maples begin to fruit in the summer and produce doubly winged samaras or "helicopters." The fruits are spread widely apart from each other and are about 3 1/2 inches wide.
Native range and habitat: The Norway Maple is native to Europe and western Asia. It has been naturalized in North America and is found from southern Canada down to Tennessee and the Carolinas in the United States. It can grow in a wide variety of temperatures and soil conditions. However, they grow better in sunny areas than in shade.
Distribution of Norway Maple across Virginia counties (VA Botanical Associates, 2019)
Plant Family: Many common trees that we see everyday belong to the Maple family. Maples typically have oppositely arranged, palmate leaves. This is useful for identification because it is not common in other plant families. Maples also have winged samaras, or helicopters, which are easily identified. They have 4-5 petals and 4-5 sepals. Maple trees also produce maple syrup which mostly comes from the Sugar Maple.
Ecologic Importance and Uses:
Edible and Medicinal Uses: Norway Maples can be tapped for maple syrup. They are said to be less sweet than Sugar Maples, but they still produce syrup.
Wildlife: Small mammals feed on the fruits and buds of the Norway Maple and so do birds. Deer eat young sprouts of the tree as well.
Gardens and Landscaping: Norway Maples are a very popular landscaping plant that is found through out Virginia in urban landscapes. It is planted for its resilience and the shade that it provides. A variation of the Norway Maple, the Crimson King, is often planted for its darker, maroon colored leaves.
Campus Specimens - Norway Maples
State and national champions? The largest Norway Maple in the United States is located in Ravalli County, Montana.. This national champion has a trunk circumference of 203 inches, height of 68 feet, and crown spread of 68 feet with a total of 288 points. The Virginia state champion Norway Maple is located in Leesburg, VA, and has a circumference of 145 inches, height of 69 feet, and crown spread of 71 feet, for a total of 232 points.
At Radford University, four Norway Maples can be found on campus (highlighted circle below). Two of them are located behind Moffett Hall facing Tyler Ave. The other two are directly across from one another in the parking lot in between Peters Hall and Dalton Hall.
Tree #245
Trunk circumference: 61 inches
Tree height: 40 feet
Crown spread: 24 feet x 30 feet Average crown spread = 27 feet
Total points: 108
Tree #531
Trunk circumference: 58 inches
Tree height: 40 feet
Crown spread: 30 feet x 24 feet Average = 27 feet
Total points: 105
Tree #375
Trunk circumference: 46 inch
Tree height: 17 feet
Crown spread: 23.9 feet x 22.8 feet Average crown spread = 23.4 feet
Total points: 69
Notes: This tree may be the Crimson King variety of the Norway Maple.
Tree #376
Trunk circumference: 51 inches
Tree height: 19 feet
Crown spread: 31 feet x 25 feet Average crown spread = 28 feet
Total points: 77
Notes: This tree may be the Crimson King variety of the Norway Maple.
References
Elpel, T. J. (2018). Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification, Edition 6.1. Hops Press, Pony, MT.
USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). 2019. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA. http://plants.usda.gov.
Seiler, J., Jenson, E., Niemiera, A., & Peterson, J. (n.d.). Virginia Tech Dendrology. http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=6.
New YorkInvasive Species (IS) Information. (2019). http://nyis.info/invasive_species/norway-maple/.
Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora. (2019). http://www.vaplantatlas.org/index.php?do=plant&plant=2001&search=Search.
Norway Maple (Acer platanoides). (2018, September 7). https://www.americanforests.org/big-trees/norway-maple-acer-platanoides-2/.
Tree Information. (n.d.). https://bigtree.cnre.vt.edu/detail.cfm?AutofieldforPrimaryKey=2365.
Yellow Maple. (2017, May 3). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Acer_platanoides#/media/File:Yellow-maple.jpg.
Page created by: Raegan Forbes, Radford University (2019).