MISC-OTHERS
CA, US
Acer grandidentatum. AKA Big-toothed Maple, Uvalde Bigtooth Maple, Southwestern Bigtooth Maple, Canyon Maple, Sabinal Maple, Western Sugar Maple.
A slow-growing relative of the Sugar Maple, native to the Rocky Mountains. It is similar to the sugar maple, but both leaves and tree are smaller. Intense fall color. Can be used to make maple syrup. Small to medium-sized tree with short trunk and spreading, rounded, dense crown. Its bark is dark brown and scaly, and its branches are stout and erect. The thickish, 3- to 5-lobed deciduous leaves turn bright red and gold in the fall. The scientific name, meaning "large-toothed," refers to the leaves.
It grows from the Rocky Mountains in southeast Idaho, through Utah and further south.
It commonly grows in limestone soils but can adapt to a wide range of well-drained soils, from sand to clays to even white limestone areas. Mine are happy in zone 9a, red clay.
Fall red leaf photo: Scott Catron, CC BY-SA 2.5
Scionwood avail. Dec- Feb. Seeds available year-round. Specify which you want, or you will get seeds.
Seeds require 8-16 weeks cold stratification to germinate.