Bigleaf maple
Acer macrophyllum
Leaves the size of dinner plates and branches draped in moss.
Hardiness: zones 6 to 9
Light: full sun to part shade
Size: about 60 ft tall, 50 ft wide
From: Pacific coast
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.
Good for: wildlife.
Native to: Pacific Northwest, California, Western Canada. Hardy in zones 6 to 9.
The story
Bigleaf maple has the largest leaves of any maple, often a foot across, and in the rain forests of the Northwest its limbs carry whole hanging gardens of moss and licorice fern. Coast Salish peoples carved its wood into paddles and dishes.
Planting
Sun or part shade and moist, deep soil. Give it a lot of room; this is a big tree.
Growing
Water young trees through dry summers. Little else.
Harvest and use
Dangling yellow flower clusters in April are edible and sweet, and bees swarm them. The sap makes a fine dark syrup, and the leaves make a mountain of mulch.
What to watch for
Brittle limbs in storms. Too big for a small yard.
See if Bigleaf maple fits your yard
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More native and wild plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home