Side by side
Norway maple or field maple? How to tell them apart
Acer platanoides · Acer campestre
How to tell them apart – Norway maple: much larger leaf with long, pointed teeth; field maple: small maple with small leaves with rounded lobes, milky sap in the leaf stalk, wings in a straight line.
How do you recognise them?
- Norway maple
- Maple leaf with long, pointed teeth and white milky sap in the leaf stalk.
- Compared with field maple: much larger leaf with long, pointed teeth.
- Field maple
- Small maple with small leaves with rounded lobes; milky sap in the leaf stalk; wings in a straight line.
| Norway maple | Field maple | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Opposite, 10–18 cm, with 5–7 lobes ending in long, pointed teeth; glossy. Snap the leaf stalk and white milky sap comes out. | Opposite, small (5–10 cm), with 3–5 rounded lobes without pointed teeth. The leaf stalk contains milky sap. |
| Flowering | Yellow-green flower clusters before the leaves open (April) (April). | May |
| Fruit | Winged fruits with wings at a wide, obtuse angle. | Winged fruits whose wings spread out horizontally, in a single line. |
| Bark | Grey, finely and regularly fissured, does not flake. | Light brown and finely fissured; young twigs often have corky ridges. |
| Shape and height | Broadleaf tree, 20–30 m | Broadleaf tree, 10–20 m, often in hedges |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | Yes, long naturalised | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees | Yes, for bees and butterflies |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | July–October | June–October |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Both are native and good for wildlife: choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have.
- Norway maple (20–30 m) and field maple (10–20 m) both grow into large trees: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.
Read on
- Plant profile: Norway maple
- Plant profile: Field maple
- Norway maple: when and how to prune
- Field maple: when and how to prune
- Identification key: the question that separates them
Also looks like
- Sycamore or Norway maple
- Norway maple or London plane
- Wild service tree or field maple
- Guelder rose or field maple
- Field elm or field maple
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.