Field Maple - Acer campestre
Family - Sapindaceae
Also known as Hedge Maple, Common Maple or Hedge Maple

Field Maple - Acer campestre, is a tree native to most of Europe, north to southern England (the only native maple in the British Isles), Denmark, Poland and Belarus, and also southwest Asia from Turkey to the Caucasus, and north Africa in the Atlas Mountains. In North America it is known as Hedge Maple and in Australia it is sometimes called Common Maple. A small / medium deciduous tree reaching 15-25m (49-82ft) tall, with a trunk up to 1m (37in) diameter, with finely fissured, often somewhat corky bark. The shoots are brown, with dark brown winter buds. The deeply cut leaves are in opposite pairs, 5-16cm (2-6.3in) long including the 3-9cm (1.2-3.5in) petiole and 5-10cm (2.4in) broad, with three to five blunt rounded lobes and smooth margin. Usually monoecious, the yellow-green flowers are produced in spring (April to Mid-May) at the same time as the leaves in erect clusters 4-6cm (1.6-2.4in) across, and are insect pollinated. There are male and female flowers on the same tree. The fruit is a samara with two winged seeds aligned at 180º, each seed 8-10mm (0.3-0.4in) wide, flat, with a 2cm (0.8in) wing, commonly known as "helicopters" or "propellers".

Field Maple is widely grown as an ornamental tree in parks and large gardens growing well during the first 20-25 years to around 10-15m, matures at 50 years, living to about 100 years. Max height of 25m (82ft), but often only 10-15m (33-49ft) high, remains as a shrub if coppiced. The wood is white, hard and strong, and used for furniture, flooring, wood turning and musical instruments, though the small size of the tree and its relatively slow growth make it an unimportant wood.

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