Norway Maple - Acer platanoides

Large spreading tree to 30 metres. Leaves large, 10 to 15 cm across, palmately 5 to 7 lobed, the lobes long pointed with a few coarse teeth. Flowers yellowish green 7 to 8 mm in broad erect panicles, before the leaves. Fruit with horizontal wings. In Autumn the leaves often become very colourful, with pink, red, orange and yellow.

Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) has a similarly shaped leaf but lacks the spiky edges.

Woods and hedgerows.

April and May.

Deciduous.

Local in Britain and probably mostly from planted stock.

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 30 of the 617 tetrads.