Meet the Bigleaf Maple Tree

Jumping into a pile of yellow and rusty-coloured maple leaves is one of the many joys of the fall season. These huge leaves come from the “bigleaf” maple tree, which has the largest maple leaves in all of Canada. Though not as spectacular as the fiery red leaves of eastern Canada’s maples, the bigleaf maple nonetheless adds a splash of fall colour to an otherwise green and grey coastal landscape.

Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), also known as the broadleaf maple, is essentially a coastal tree of southwestern BC found at low to mid elevations. Bigleaf maple grows up to 35 metres tall, and often lives to be 200-300 years old.

It is tree whose beauty can be admired in every season. In April, the tree is covered in tassel-like clusters of tiny yellow-green flowers. These fragrant flowers attract many bees and other insects. The new, lime-green leaves emerge around the same time as the flowers.

In the late spring and summer the bigleaf maple has a full crown of leaves that are shiny dark green above, and lighter beneath. The leaves are deeply five-lobed and grow up to 30 cm wide.

Bigleaf maple seeds, called “samaras” mature in fall. The brown, winged seeds are hairy and joined at the base in pairs, forming a “V” shape. The seeds can often be seen twirling through the air like miniature helicopters.

Even in the wintertime, after all of the leaves have fallen, the branching silhouette of the maple tree is striking against the pale winter sky.

Bigleaf maple prefers coarse, gravelly soils, usually near water. It often occurs in mixed forests that were previously disturbed by fire or logging. It is a fast growing tree that is well adapted to fire. After a fire, wine-red suckers grow rapidly (as much as three metres in a single year) from the base of an old stump. As the suckers grow into saplings, the maple bark is smooth and grey-green.

As the tree ages the older brownish/grey bark becomes ridged. The trunks and limbs of maples, unlike most other trees, are often cloaked in mosses, lichens and ferns. Maple bark, which retains moisture and is high in calcium, fosters plant growth. Bigleaf maple has more epiphytes (plants that grow on trees) than any other tree in the area

Bigleaf maple is a very important tree ecologically. Many creatures eat the seeds, such as squirrels and birds like finches and grosbeaks. Young maple leaves and twigs provide forage for deer and elk. Since maple often thrives in soils that are poor and gravelly, it greatly helps to control erosion of banks and hillsides.

Leaning over rivers and streams, maple provides important shade and protection for young fish. Fallen leaves may seem like litter to some, but the leaves decompose into nutrient rich humus.

First Nations peoples used bigleaf maple for a variety of purposes, and often called it the “paddle tree,” since it was used to make paddles, as well as many other implements. The large leaves were also used as temporary baskets.

Apart from bigleaf maple, Vancouver Island is also home to some smaller, more shrub-like maples. Douglas maple (Acer glabrum) grows to only ten metres high and has much smaller leaves than bigleaf maple. The leaves have 3-5 lobes and are coarsely toothed.

Vine maple (Acer circinatum), a common species on mainland BC, is rare on Vancouver Island. Vine maple has 7-9 lobed leaves that are a bit larger than Douglas maple. The winged seeds are not “V” shaped, but are positioned opposite each other in a straight line. The leaves of vine maple turn crimson red in the fall. Both Douglas maple and vine maple have a hard wood that is supple when fresh, and often used for making snowshoe frames.

The maple leaf is highly emblematic of Canada. The present Canadian flag, with a stylized maple leaf front and center, was officially inaugurated on February 15, 1965. It replaced the old Red Ensign, which had a union jack and coat of arms. The Canadian penny, with two maple leaves, has changed little since 1937.

Did you know:
• The flowers of bigleaf maple are edible, and can be eaten in salads.
• A Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival is held every year on Vancouver Island.
• Maple leaves make excellent garden mulch.
• Between 1876-1901 the maple leaf appeared on all Canadian coins.
• “The Maple Leaf Forever” is a well-known song composed by John Muir for Canada’s confederation in 1867.

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