Facts on How Big Maple Trees Get

Tall Native Maples

• Some of the taller landscaping maples are native species to North America, growing to heights around 100 feet. Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) and red maple (Acer rubrum) mature to heights of 50 to 80 feet on average. Black maple (Acer saccharum subsp. nigrum) grows 60 to 75 feet high. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is a 40- to 80-foot-tall species. The bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) is a large maple of the Pacific Northwest, growing to heights of 100 feet with ease. All of these maple species function as shade trees, street trees or specimen plants.

Smaller Native Maples

• The striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum), also called snakebark maple for its colorful, striped bark, grows to just 25 feet. The vine maple (Acer circinatum) of Washington, Oregon and Northern California is just 15 feet high but often has a spread of about 20 feet. The bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum) is a western maple in the 25-foot-tall category. Boxelder (Acer negundo) is a 30- to 50-foot maple with a wide range across North America. These smaller trees are appropriate for group plantings, property lines or use beneath power lines.

Non-native Maple Sizes

• At 20 to 30 feet in height, the trident maple (Acer buergerianum) of China and Japan is small enough to serve as a patio tree. The hedge maple (Acer campestre) of Europe and western sections of Asia develops to 35 feet but serves as a hedge because it tolerates pruning. Fullmoon maple (Acer japonicum) grows in partial shade to 30 feet; use it as an understory tree or along forest edges. The Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), growing 10 to 25 feet, functions as a specimen tree or along rock garden borders. Norway maple (Acer platanoides) is a larger non-native type, sometimes as tall as 90 feet, but more often in the 40- to 60-foot range. Plant it as a shade tree.

Cultivar Sizes

• When the features of a certain maple attract your interest, but the parent tree is too large for your landscape, inquire about smaller cultivars. For example, Norway maple comes in dwarf form called "Globosum," growing to 18 feet with a round, compact form. "Sharp's Pygmy" is a 4- to 6-foot Japanese maple cultivar. "Silver Queen" is a silver maple that does not exceed heights of 50 feet. "October Glory" is a red maple cultivar suitable for medium-sized landscapes, growing 40 to 50 feet high.