Norway Maple
Acer platanoides
Learn about the Norway maple including when and why it was planted, how to identify it, and where to find it on campus.
Tree Facts
Family: Sapindaceae
Type
Deciduous
Fall color
Size
Large (greater than 50 feet)
Traits
- Large, broad leaves that turn yellow, gold, or orange in the fall
- The royal redleaf cultivar (east of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial) has reddish-purple leaves in the summer
- Ridged bark
- Milky sap in leaves and leaf stalks
- susceptible to verticillium wilt and anthracnose
Native Range
- Central Europe
- Eastern Europe
- Western Asia
Story of the Tree
Scattered across the east lawn area of the Capitol Campus are three Norway maples, most of them conspicuously wide.
Because of its strength and beauty, Norway maple is commonly planted in American cities.
Unlike bigleaf maple, Norway maple leaves are not deeply indented, and are proportionately broad. In autumn the leaves can be pure yellow, gold, or even orange.
One of two dozen varieties of Norway maple, ‘Royal Redleaf’ grows on the lawn between the Visitor Center and Vietnam Veterans Memorial. All summer its leaves are reddish-purple.
These trees are some of the oldest on West Campus.
