General: Only rarely are woody plants so poorly defined in terms of their growth form or, conversely, as diverse as the field maple that is native to Europe and even adjacent to it. This is due to the fact that its habitus is strongly influenced by location factors such as soil and light and, above all, climate. So it grows on poorer soils or in mountainous locations and in rather shady areas at best to a sparse, multi-stemmed large shrub about 7 m high. If it is allowed to develop in parks in a free standing area without competitive pressure, then this maple can develop into a respectable tree with a trunk diameter of up to one meter and heights of up to 20 m. The bark is a feast for the eyes, it is transversely and longitudinally fissured and appears to be fielded when the tree is standing. The color ranges from gray to black-brown, the young wood is olive-green to red-brown. In some individuals, real wing-like cork strips can develop. The leaves are opposite, three- to five-lobed, with blunt leaf lobes. The foliage turns bright yellow in October.
Care as a bonsai: Due to its overall properties, it is in no way inferior to the design potential of a field maple, you can create real characters. The cut tolerance is excellent and the new shoots strong. It is important to ensure that the new shoots are selected in good time and wired if necessary. Otherwise, a field maple tends to be rather bulky. The species has no special location requirements and is overall very robust and frost hardy.
