Maple and Horse Chestnut Trees

Norway Maple

Acer platanoides.

The Norway Maple is a large deciduous tree that can grow up to 30 meters tall. It has a spreading crown and dark green leaves that turn yellow, orange, and red in the fall. The bark is smooth and grey when the tree is young, but it becomes furrowed and dark brown as it ages

Purple Norway Maple

Acer platanoides var.

The are many varieties of the Norway Maple, with different coloured leaves. A Purple Norway Maple is shown, there are also Copper Norway Maples in the park.

Silver Maple

Acer saccharinum.

The Silver Maple is a fast-growing tree, reaching up to 30 meters tall. It has a spreading crown and silvery-green leaves that turn yellow in autumn. The bark is smooth and grey, with shallow fissures.

Henry’s Maple

Acer henryi.

Henry’s Maple, also known as Vine Maple is a small deciduous tree or shrub native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. It can grow up to 10 meters tall and has multiple stems and a spreading crown. The leaves are palmately lobed with a circular shape.

Sycamore

Acer pseudoplantanus.

Large deciduous tree with a broad crown, smooth grey bark, and palmate leaves with 5 lobes. The leaves turn yellow and brown in autumn. Produces paired winged fruits called samaras.

Variants such as the Variegated Sycamore are believed to be in the park.

Sycamores can be confused with the Norway Maple.

Brilliant Sycamore

Acer pseudoplatanus ‘Brilliantissimum’.

Large deciduous tree with a broad crown, smooth grey bark, and palmate leaves with 5 lobes. The leaves turn yellow and brown in autumn. Produces paired winged fruits called samaras.

Tree of Heaven

Ailanthus altissima.

The Tree of Heaven is a fast-growing, invasive species that can reach up to 25 meters in height. It has compound leaves with 11 to 17 leaflets and produces small, white flowers in clusters. The tree’s fruits are samaras, which are small, winged seeds that can be dispersed by wind.

Field Maple

Acer campestre.

The field maple has 5-lobed leaves with a few rounded teeth, whereas the Norway Maple teeth are longer-pointed and the Sycamore many course jagged teeth.

NOTE: the Field Maple does not appear in our tree map, as it is only found in the unmapped conservation areas.

Box Elder

Acer negundo.

The leaves of the Box Elder tree are compound, with 3-7 leaflets that are usually 2-4 inches long, and turn a bright yellow in the autumn before dropping. The tree produces small, yellow-green flowers in the spring, which are followed by pairs of winged seeds called samaras that are often bright red in colour.

Cappadocian Maple

Acer cappadocicum.

The Cappadocian Maple is a small tree, reaching a height of 10-15 meters. It has a spreading crown and glossy, dark green leaves. In autumn, the leaves turn brilliant orange-red.

Horse Chestnut

Aesculus hippocastanum.

Large tree with a rounded shape and compound leaves with 5-7 leaflets. The flowers are white with a pink or yellow blotch and grow in panicles. The fruit (conker) is a prickly green capsule containing a shiny brown nut.

Red Horse Chestnut

Aesculus x carnea

The Red Horse Chestnut is similar to the Horse Chestnut but with red-pink flowers.

Indian Horse Chestnut

Aesculus indica.

The Indian Horse Chestnut is a large tree, growing up to 30 meters tall.

The flowers are white and fragrant appearing later in the season that the other Chestnuts.

Yellow Buckeye

Aesculus flava.

The Yellow Buckeye is a medium-sized, deciduous tree that is native to the eastern United States. It has a spreading canopy and smooth, grey bark. The leaves are palmately compound and have seven to nine leaflets.

The specimen in the park has a very distinct graft onto a Horse Chesnut base, to enable it to thrive in the UK climate.