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Acer campestre - L.

Field Maple

Author	L.	Botanical references	11, 17, 200
Family	Aceraceae	Genus	Acer
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Europe, including Britain, from Sweden to Spain and east to western Asia and the Caucasus.
Habitat	Open deciduous woods, hedgerows and scrub, usually on basic soils[17].
Edibility Rating	2 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Tree growing to 15m at a fast rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Secondary; Dappled Shade; Hedge;

Edible Uses

The sap contains a certain amount of sugar and can either be used as a drink, or can be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water[4]. The concentration of sugar is considerably lower than in the sugar maples (A. saccharum). The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. The tree trunk is tapped in the early spring, the sap flowing better on warm sunny days following a frost. The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates.

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Anticholesterolemic; Astringent.

The bark is astringent and slightly anticholesterolemic[7]. A decoction has been used to bathe sore eyes[7]. The bark should be sun-dried and then stored in a dry place until required[7].

Other Uses

Charcoal; Fuel; Hedge; Preservative; Wood.

The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them[18, 20]. A fast growing plant and bearing clipping well, it makes an excellent clipped hedge and can also be used as part of a native wildlife hedge where it is only trimmed every 3 - 4 years[200, K]. It has also been used in topiary[200]. Wood - fine-grained, tough, elastic, hard to split, takes a high polish and is seldom attacked by insects. Trees are seldom large enough to supply much usable timber, but when available it is much valued by cabinet makers[4, 7, 13, 46, 115]. It is also used for cups bowls etc[115]. The wood of the roots is often knotted and is valued for small objects of cabinet work[4]. The wood is an excellent fuel[4]. A charcoal made from the wood is a good fuel[4, 115].

Cultivation details

Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil[11] in a sunny position but tolerates some shade[11, 200]. Does well on chalky soils, tolerating a pH as high as 8, but becoming a shrub in such conditions[186]. Does not thrive in soils with a pH much below 6[186]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Tolerates atmospheric pollution[200]. Growth is fast once the trees are established, but this later slows down and trees take about 50 years to reach maturity[186]. Frequently found as a shrub in light woodland, especially under oak. It is one of the first trees to colonize chalk grassland[186]. The field maple is a bad companion plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants[18, 20]. A good bee plant[7]. This species has often been coppiced in the past for its wood[17]. Trees produce seed in about 10 years from sowing[98].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the following spring. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 - 4 months at 1 - 8°c. It can be slow to germinate. The seed can be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it has dried and produced any germination inhibitors) and sown immediately. It should germinate in late winter. If the seed is harvested too soon it will produce very weak plants or no plants at all[80, 113]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions. Layering, which takes about 12 months, is successful with most species in this genus. Cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 - 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Hedges and their uses.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[80] McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985 ISBN 0-901361-21-6
Does not deal with many species but it is very comprehensive on those that it does cover. Not for casual reading.

[98] Gordon. A. G. and Rowe. D. C. f. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. 0
Very comprehensive guide to growing trees and shrubs from seed. Not for the casual reader.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 0
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

[186] Beckett. G. and K. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold 1979
An excellent guide to native British trees and shrubs with lots of details about the plants.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Acer campestre

Ian Dunford Wed Oct 28 2009

Hi, Just to let you know about the flowers whcih ae edible and tase very sweet and delicious, not dissimilar to those of the lime tree.

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