Bigleaf Maple

The PNW gigantic broccoli tree

Maple Seasons

Maple sap, maple tap.
The source of midwinter
Sweetness.

Maple flowers, spring towers.
Pollen baskets on a
Bee's legs.

Maple leaves, sunshine weaves.
Stars of summer shade
Moss and ferns.

Red falls, autumn calls.
And back we go again to
Winter.

--Ansley Roberts

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It’s big. It’s leafy. It’s a bigleaf maple!

Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) is one of the easiest deciduous trees to identify in the Pacific Northwest. Its giant leaves are unmistakably maple-like. Just picture the Canadian flag and you’ve got the basic shape down. If you’re into Latin, Acer means “jagged-pointy” and macrophyllum means “big leaf.” Apparently, the Latin language is not very creative … but that’s kind of the point.

Bigleaf maple in early spring.

There are 13 maple species native to North America, which is roughly 10% of the total maple species found worldwide. Sugar and black maple trees are the maple species most commonly used for syrup production due to their high sugar content, but these are found in the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada.

In the Pacific Northwest, we have two species of maples, bigleaf and vine maples. The two are distinctly different. Vine maples (Acer circinatum) have small leaves, green bark, and skinny, winding trunks compared to the towering furrowed bark trunks and ginormous leaves of the bigleaf maple.

Vine maple (Acer circinatum)

Vine maples make excellent wood for carving, but these are slow-growing trees so I recommend harvesting these with care and intention. I like to use them for carving spoons, making spears, and crafting simple bows for traditional archery.

Onward to our regularly scheduled profile …

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