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Acer campestre L., Field Maple

Account Summary

Introduction, neophyte, deliberately planted, rare or very occasional, probably somewhat under-recorded. European temperate, but widely planted and naturalised.

1975-85; Faulkner, Dr J.S.; Marble Arch/Cladagh River Glen NR.

April to October.

Growth form and preferred habitats

Field Maple is a modest, small-leaved, deciduous tree with no conspicuous property to make it outstanding. Even its normal autumn leaf colour is a rather unexciting yellow, although occasionally it can muster a more impressive bright gold turning orange, or a dull crimson fading towards purple. It prefers lowland habitats on moist, ± fertile, light, base-rich, chalk or limestone soils, but it can also occur on wet clay soils. It reaches its best development on the Downs of SE England (Sell & Murrell 2009). Trees can reach 20 m, or a little more in height, but often is very much smaller than this, especially when growing in hedges or on poorer soils. When growing in hedges that are regularly cut back, the twigs develop corky wings that are an unusual feature in a maple (Hadfield 1957; Mitchell 1996).

In S & E England, it occurs in woodland, scrub and old hedgerows and, in addition, is regularly planted in public amenity areas, on farmland as hedges and along roadsides (T.D. Dines, in: Preston et al. 2002). It is not a gregarious tree and does not colonise waste ground (Hadfield 1957).

Variation

The critical Flora of B & I lists two subspecies, one containing three varieties (Sell & Murrell 2009). Subsp. campestre has hairy fruits (samaras), while the recently introduced subsp. leiocarpum (Opiz) Pax has samaras glabrous, or nearly so. With regard to the three varieties of A. campestre subsp. campestre, only var. campestre is widespread within the range of the species. Like subsp. leiocarpum, the other two varieties of subsp. campestre are recent introductions, probably having arrived in Britain within the last 30 years or so (Sell & Murrell 2009). The two introduced varieties of subsp. campestre are var. lobatum Pax which has slightly larger 5-lobed leaves than var. campestre (leaves up to 8 cm) and has a central leaf lobe often wider than long, and a more rounded leaf shape than the other two forms. Var. oxytomum Borbás has the largest leaves of the three varieties (up to 8 × 10 cm), the central lobe usually longer than wide and pointed (Sell & Murrell 2009).

Fossil record and status in Britain

A. campestre is the only Maple species considered native in Britain and then mainly in S & E parts of England and the Welsh borders, although it does also reach northwards to Durham and Cumbria. However, it has been for a long time frequently planted elsewhere to the N & W of England and into Scotland, so its supposed indigenous range has become considerably obscured (T.D. Dines, in: Preston et al. 2002). Even so, despite its native designation, the fossil record does not provide convincing proof of its British status. Most of the fossil records of A. campestre are based on wood or charcoal from archaeological sites and the very few fossil pollen records (the tree is insect pollinated, making fossil pollen exceedingly rare) are really only capable of being identified to genus level.

The bald fact is that no British Flandrian post-glacial record for A. campestre exists prior to the Neolithic period (zone VIIb) when the first farmers arrived on the land. Records from the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman period are all of similar frequencies to one another (Godwin 1975). A single pollen diagram from a bog in Somerset (Decoy Pool Wood) is the only one where there is anything like a continuous Acer pollen curve and there it seems probable that the Maple increased in the early part of zone VIII as a consequence of forest clearing or thinning by Neolithic people. The pollen curves in this particular case for Ilex, Fraxinus and Acer appear to show some tendency (no more than that) to follow the pattern of the weed and cereal pollen curves and this may indicate that these three woody species were favoured by woodland clearance, opening up the vegetation and allowing them to increase and spread (Godwin 1975, Fig. 168).

In his major work on ancient woodland in S England, Rackham (1980), referring to A. campestre, states his view clearly, "The record for Maple is very unsatisfactory." An explanation for the poor or under-represented fossil record is offered in terms of geography – Maple is rare or absent in N & W regions of Britain from which much of the pollen evidence comes. In addition, it is pointed out that Maple is insect-pollinated and is a poor pollen producer, "though rated no worse than Ash or Lime". It also grows on clay soils well away from pollen-collecting basins (Andersen 1970; Rackham 1980). "Nevertheless, it is remarkable that even in East Anglia, the present stronghold of Maple, it should have so little prehistoric record." (Rackham 1980).

Rackham concludes, "The pollen record of Maple, taken at face value, indicates that the tree has greatly increased, or could even have been introduced, since the development of agriculture." Neolithic people are not known to have intentionally introduced plants other than cereals and other edible species. Perhaps a few medicinal herbs might also have been imported, but no woody plants are believed to have been deliberately introduced by early farmers. Rackham goes on to say, "This is difficult to reconcile with its [Maple's] modern ecology: Maple is a non-aggressive tree which does not easily form secondary woodland. As a coloniser of clearings in woodland or of abandoned farmland it is less effective than Ash or even Hazel. The question [of native status] must be left unanswered; the lack of evidence tells us less about the prehistory of Maple than about the limitations of palaeobotanical techniques." (Rackham 1980).

In phytogeographical terms, Matthews (1955) placed Field Maple in the Continental-southern element of the British flora, and the strongly southern restriction of its range in England and Wales agrees well with its recorded late appearance in the fossil (or sub-fossil) record. A. campestre appears to be unaffected by frost in England and it is notably resistant to both shading and coppicing. Nowadays, it can become a very substantial woodland tree, although far more frequently it occurs as an undershrub or hedgerow plant (Godwin 1975).

Status in Ireland

A. campestre has always been regarded as an introduced, planted species in Ireland (Mackay 1825).

Fermanagh occurrence

Very occasionally, this species is planted in hedges and as specimen trees in demesne parkland or woods, or in landscaping schemes around the grounds of larger public or private buildings, eg the Killyhevlin Hotel, just outside Enniskillen. Very rarely, as at Crom Castle, it produces a large tree, but much more frequently it is only recently planted and is still of shrubby proportions. The tree may eventually seed itself into adjacent ground, but as yet RHN and the current author (RSF) have no record of this happening anywhere in Fermanagh in a wild, or even in a semi-natural situation.

Elsewhere, in England, when seedlings do occur they are known to be very hardy and tolerant of heavy shade, but under even good conditions they grow slowly. Self-sown seedlings of A. campestre are much less common than those of Norway Maple (A. platanoides) and Sycamore (A. pseudoplatanus), though they are more in evidence after seasons of heavy fruiting, which are irregular and sometimes only occur at long intervals (Hadfield 1957).

There are records in the Fermanagh Flora Database from a total of just 17 tetrads (3.2%), so it is certainly under-recorded. As the tetrad map indicates, it is widely but rather rarely and very sparsely planted in the lowlands.

European and world occurrence

On the European continent, A. campestre just manages to reach S Sweden (where it is rare) and extends southwards from Denmark, Poland and S Russia to C Spain, Corsica, Sicily and N Greece. It then extends through Asia Minor and the Caucasus to N Iran and Turkestan. It is also found, though rarely, in Algeria (Hadfield 1957).

Names

The English common name 'Maple' is derived from Old English 'mapultreow', 'maple-tree'. Place names including this and other early names as an element are found in the midlands and south where the species is most commonly found and considered native. Examples are 'Maperton' (Somerset), 'Maplebeck' (Nottinghamshire), 'Maple-durham' (Hampshire and Oxfordshire) and 'Mappowder' (Dorsetshire) (Hadfield 1957).

Uses

Nowadays, the wood of A. campestre, being mainly sourced from hedgerows, is usually small-scale and only suitable for minor items. However, in the past, or when larger trees do become available, the timber is whiter, harder, finer grained, often handsomely figured and far superior to that of Sycamore or even Beech, belonging indeed to the pre-20thcentury age of craftsmen who used it for turning dishes, cups and trays. In the past it was also used for inlays and for making harps (Grigson 1955 & 1987). While the wood is hard, tough and strong, it is not durable in the open when subjected to rain and sun (Hadfield 1957).