Common name(s): Norway maple
Scientific name: Acer platanoides L.
Family: Soapberry family (Sapindaceae)
Native range: East central Europe to southwest Asia
Type: Deciduous
Non-native range: widely planted as an urban tree in cities and parks
Average height range: 20-30 meters
Forest or habitat:
Wood density and quality: hard, good for furniture, color is pale-yellow to reddish.
Leaf shape: palmate
Leaf arrangement: Opposite
Leaf margin: lobed, spiny (1-7 teeth-like points per lobe)
Leaf venation: palmate
Leaf stem: 5-8 inches, 8-20 cm
Leaf surface: glabrous (smooth, not hairy)
Inflorescence: corymb like panicle
Flower: five sepals and five petals 3–4 mm, inconspicuous
Pollinating agents: ?
Fruit: double Samara pair
Edible?: no
Seed description: flattened disk-like with “wings” (samara)
Seed dispersal mechanism: wind blown Samara
Bark: gray-brown, grooved
Traditional uses: ornamental, shade
Commercial uses: furniture and wood-turning (banister spindles etc.)
Invasiveness: Moderate in some areas, (banned in New Hampshire and Massachusetts)
Threats: Asian long horned beetle,
Iconic or symbolic value: Maple leaf is the national symbol of Canada and is represented on its flag.
