Common Name: Field Maple

General Information

Acer campestre is a deciduous tree with a round-headed canopy; it usually grows from 6 - 10 metres tall, with occasional specimens to 20 metres[].
The plant is harvested from the wild, mainly for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. When large enough, the wood is highly valued for cabinet making, and the plant was often coppiced in the past as a source of good quality fuel.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

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[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	8.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Acer campestre is a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -30°c when dormant[].
Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil[] in a sunny position but tolerates some shade[, ]. Does well on chalky soils, tolerating a pH as high as 8, but becoming a shrub in such conditions[]. Does not thrive in soils with a pH much below 6[]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Tolerates atmospheric pollution[].
Growth is fast once the trees are established, but this later slows down and trees take about 50 years to reach maturity[].
The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates. The tree trunk is tapped in the early spring, the sap flowing better on warm sunny days following a frost.
The field maple is a bad companion plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants[, ].
A good bee plant[].
This species has often been coppiced in the past for its wood[].
Trees produce seed in about 10 years from sowing[].

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[]. The concentration of sugar is considerably lower than in the sugar maples (A. saccharum). The syrup can be used as a sweetener on many foods.

Medicinal

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

Agroforestry Uses:

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[, ]. It has also been used in topiary[].
The plant is frequently found as a shrub in light woodland, especially under oak. It is one of the first trees to colonize chalk grassland, where it is especially useful as a pioneer species when restoring native woodland[].

Other Uses

We have two reports that the leaves of maple species, when laid in layers between crops such as apples, carrots and potatoes, have a preservative effect[, ]. The reports do not name any specific species[].

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[, , , , ]. It is also used for cups bowls etc[]. The wood of the roots is often knotted and is valued for small objects of cabinet work[].
The wood is an excellent fuel[]. A charcoal made from the wood is a good fuel[, ].

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[, ]. 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 early summer . 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.