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Vine maple

Acer circinatum

A small, sprawling maple of Pacific Northwest forests, with round leaves that glow orange and red under the big conifers.

Fall color
RedOrangeYellow
Turns
Early in the mountains, mid-season in the lowlands
Leaves
Opposite (in pairs)
Size
2–5 in. across
Found in
Pacific Northwest, California

How to recognize it

  1. A nearly round leaf with 7 to 9 short, pointed lobes, spread like a small fan or sunburst.
  2. Edges lined with fine teeth, with smaller teeth set on the larger ones.
  3. Grows as a shrub or small tree, usually with several crooked stems that arch and lean.
  4. The winged seeds spread almost flat, in a nearly straight line, and are often reddish in summer.
  5. In sun the leaves turn red and orange; in deep shade they often turn pale yellow.

Where to find it

Look for it in the understory of Douglas fir and cedar forests, along streams, in clearings and on avalanche slopes, from sea level up into the mountains, from British Columbia to northern California. In the Cascades it’s one of the first splashes of color, often turning by early September.

Easy to confuse with

Bigleaf maple

Much bigger leaves, usually 6 to 12 inches across, with five deep lobes and blunt tips. It grows into a large tree and turns yellow.

Worth knowing

Where a vine maple’s arching stems touch the ground, they can take root, so one plant can spread into a tangled thicket. The species name, circinatum, means rounded, after the nearly circular leaves. Japanese maples in western gardens are close relatives, and the resemblance is easy to see in the leaf.

Common questions

What color does vine maple turn in fall?

Vine maple turns orange and red in the sun, and often pale yellow in deep shade, so one thicket can show all three.

When does vine maple change color?

Early in the mountains, where it can start turning in late August or early September. In the lowlands around Puget Sound, it colors in October.

How can you tell vine maple from bigleaf maple?

Vine maple has small, nearly round leaves 2 to 5 inches across, with 7 to 9 short lobes. Bigleaf maple leaves are usually 6 to 12 inches across, with five deep lobes.

Where does vine maple grow?

In the lower 48, it grows in the Pacific Northwest and northern California, from sea level into the mountains.

See where the color is peaking today.

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