Characteristics of Autumn Blaze Maple Leaves

Size and Shape

• The foliage of the silver maple, like most maple trees, has palmate lobes, with each leaf possessing five spreading lobes that causes it to resemble a hand with outstretched fingers. Autumn Blaze has the same deeply cut lobes, extending toward the midsection of the leaf, as its silver maple parent. The leaves grow alternately on the twigs, another maple tree trait. Autumn Blaze leaves mature to about 5 inches in length.

Color

• When the foliage emerges on the Autumn Blaze maple, it lacks any competition for attention from flowers. These trees generate few, if any, flowers and subsequently have little fruit later on in the year. The leaves start out green with a tint of red. By summer, the foliage is an all-green shade, states the Washington State University Clark County Extension. The chill of fall begins a transition of the foliage to the bright orange and red that make this specific maple cultivar worthy of a prominent place in the landscape. The tree is deciduous, so the leaves fall off long before winter arrives.

Uses

• Growing to heights between 40 and 50 feet, Autumn Blaze is large enough to serve as a shade tree or a street tree. The tree routinely attains widths between 30 and 40 feet. It has ascending branches, with a thick and broad crown. It takes on an oval appearance when mature, with a dense covering of leaves that generate plentiful amounts of shade.

Other Features

• In addition to its gaudy fall foliage, the Autumn Blaze maple has other features that make it a solid landscaping option. The tree is cold hardy into U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 3, but also handles the summer weather associated with warmer parts of North America, including zone 8. The tree grows rapidly. Silver maples have a reputation for having weak branches, vulnerable to wind and winter precipitation, but Autumn Blaze's branches have the strength of their red maple heritage, standing up well to such conditions. Clay soils, damp areas and lack of rainfall do not deter the growth of this species.