Acer macrophyllum (Bigleaf Maple or Oregon Maple) is a large deciduoustree in the genus Acer. It grows to be up to 35 m tall, but more commonly 15 m to 20 m tall. It is native to western North America, mostly near the Pacific coast, from southernmost Alaska south to southern California. Some stands are also found inland in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California, and a tiny population occurs in central Idaho.[1][2]
Bigleaf Maple flowers and foliage
It has the largest leaves of any maple, typically 15-30 cm across, with five deeply-incised palmate lobes, with the largest running to 61 cm The flowers are produced in spring in pendulous racemes 10-15 cm long, greenish-yellow with inconspicuous petals. The fruit is a paired winged samara, each seed 1-1.5 cm diameter with a 4-5 cm wing.[1][2]
Maple syrup has been made from the sap of Bigleaf Maple trees.[3] While the sugar concentration is about the same as in Acer saccharum (sugar maple), the flavor is somewhat different. Interest in commercially producing syrup from Bigleaf Maple sap has been limited.[4]
The wood is widely used for such diverse uses as furniture, piano frames and salad bowls. Highly figured wood is not uncommon and is used for veneer, stringed insturments and guitar bodies. Lakwungen First Nations people of Vancouver Island call it the Paddle Tree and used it to make paddles and spindle wheels.
