Acer pseudoplatanus
Common name:
Planetree Maple
Sycamore Maple
Pronunciation:
A-ser soo-do-PLAT-an-us
Family:
Sapindaceae, Aceraceae
Genus:
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Deciduous tree, 40-60 ft (12-18 m), upright, spreading branches, oval crown, bark similar to that of a sycamore (flaking in small rectangular scales). Leaves opposite, simple, 7.5-15 cm wide, 3-5 lobed, coarsely crenate-serrate, dark green and glabrous above, greenish-white below. Fall color yellowish to dingy brown. Flowers small, yellow-green, in 8-12 cm long pendulous, clusters (racemes), appear after leaves. Fruit (samara) 3-5 cm long, forming an angle of about 60°, in pendulous clusters. Buds similar to those of Acer platanoides, Norway Maple.
- Sun to light shade, best on well-drained soil, tolerates alkaline to acid soil conditions, sensitive to heat, good near the sea shore, a salt tolerant species.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 4 Native to Europe and western Asia
- Caution: In some areas Acer pseudoplatanus is considered an invasive species and a threat to native plants. It is a troublesome plant in parts of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and New England.
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Several selections available, including:
- ‘Atropurpureum’ - leaves dark green above, purple beneath
- ‘Brilliantissimum’ - new leaves brilliant shrimp-pink, later pale yellow-green, then light to medium green
- ‘Eck Sunset’ - new leaves orange-pink, later dark green splashed with cream, tan and pink
- ‘Nizetii’ - new leaves variegated, blotched and streaked with pink, red and orange, later yellow-green
- pseudoplatanus: pseudo, false; platanus, a reference to Platanus, Sycamore, hence a "false sycamore", meaning visually similar to a Platanus.
- Corvallis: north side 127 NW 13th St.
- Oregon State Univ. campus: west side of Oxford House on Jefferson Ave.