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Bigtooth Maple

Acer grandidentatum

Other common name(s):

Big-toothed Maple, Uvalde Bigtooth Maple, Southwestern Bigtooth Maple, Canyon Maple, Sabinal Maple, Western Sugar Maple

Family:

Sapindaceae (Soapberry Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, Edwards Plateau
Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas
Limestone Cut Plain
Balcones Canyonlands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

15
to
40
ft.

Spread

10
to
15
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Loam, Clay, Alkaline, Calcareous, Moist

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Woodland, Wetland or Riparian

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Yellow, Green

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Fall Color, Seeds, Forage, Nectar

Wildlife Benefit

Browsers, Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals

Maintenance

Needs well drained soil. Slightly more drought tolerant than eastern maples. Is a good small landscape tree. Brilliant yellow to red fall color. Benefits from 2″–4″ of mulch over and beyond the root zone. Do not allow mulch to contact tree trunk. Foliage tips may burn in hot summers. May require supplemental watering outside of its native range, but do not overwater. Prune only if necessary. May need fencing to protect from deer. Propagation: Seed.

Comments

Blooms March-April. The western relative of Sugar Maple. Grows as a large shrub up to 40 ft tree depending on region.. Its bark is dark brown and scaly. Flowers are small, in hanging clusters, appearing before the leaves. The three to five lobed Leaves are dark green above, pale under with some fuzz.. The scientific name referring to the Large Toothed leaf. Fruit is the familiar two-winged samara. Native Habitat: Moist soils of canyons in mountains and plateaus; in woodlands and riparian zones. Native to very restricted area of Edwards Plateau, and the Guadalupe Mountains. Butterflies attracted to flowers.

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACGR3. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Acer+grandidentatum&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=22739&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 5) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 331. 6) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48., 7) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014, 8) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=28760#null, 9) https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=241814

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Contact a local Chapter

State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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