Rocky Mountain maple
Acer glabrum · Aceraceae
Rocky Mountain maple (Acer glabrum) is a perennial tree in the Aceraceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 2 and warmer, down to about -43°F.
At a glance
| Type | tree Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 30 ft USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Water need | low USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 5.8–7.5 USDA |
| Bloom | May–June USDA |
| Flower color | Green USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 2 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | understory Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It grows in partial shade. USDA rates it as having low water needs once established. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It is recorded on soils from pH 5.8 to 7.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 2.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 30 ft, making it a substantial woody plant. It grows quickly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of May through June. Flowers are green.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as moderate.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 9 to 60 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 180 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 24 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
It takes readily from seed, cuttings, bare root and container stock. Seed needs cold stratification — a period of moist chilling — before it will germinate, so sow in autumn or chill it artificially before a spring sowing. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It spreads vegetatively at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it moderately palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its fire tolerance is rated high, and it can resprout after damage. Its growth form is recorded as multiple stem.
Role in a guild
Understory. In a layered planting this is the layer beneath the canopy, tall enough to hold structure but shaded from above. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Acer
- vine maple Acer circinatum
- southern sugar maple Acer floridanum
- Amur maple Acer ginnala
- Douglas maple Acer glabrum
Similar role and hardiness
- netleaf hackberry Celtis laevigata
- Arnold hawthorn Crataegus ×anomala
- Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus
- Japanese flowering crab apple Malus floribunda
- chokecherry Prunus virginiana
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol ACGL, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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