How to Identify and Remove Amur Maple

The Amur maple is an invasive species of maple tree even though it's known for its yellow, red, or orange leaves for fall color. Amur maple is also valued for its compact size, cold hardiness, adaptability to a wide range of soils, and its versatility to be grown as a tree or shrub, screen or hedge, and even in containers.

Common Name	Amur maple, Siberian maple
Botanical Name	Acer ginnala, Acer tataricumsubsp.ginnala
Plant Type	Tree, shrub
Mature Size	15-18 ft. tall, 15-18 ft. wide
Soil Type	Loamy, sandy, clay, well-drained
Bloom Time	Spring
Flower Color	White
Hardiness Zones	3-8 (USDA)
Native Area	Asia

Amur Maple Invasiveness

Warning

Amur maple is considered an invasive species in the Northeast and Midwest of the United States where it has invaded natural areas. A single tree produces up to 5,000 seeds annually which spread mostly nearby but can also be carried farther away by wind and water. Check before planting whether there are any restrictions to plant Amur maple in your state.

While Amur maple prefers sunny locations, it is more tolerant of shade than other maples and wherever its thousands of winged seeds land, they can germinate in the shade. It produces seedlings that grow to maturity just about anywhere—in gaps in the canopy of a forest, in open woodlands, forest edges, prairies, and open fields. Because the tree grows as wide as it grows tall, its canopy shades out other vegetation and pushes out native shrubs and understory trees, thereby depriving native wildlife of food sources. Over time, Amur maple forms monocultures with dense shade underneath which no other plants can grow.

Despite its invasiveness, Amur maple cultivars (popular ones include 'Embers' and 'Flame") are still sold by nurseries.

What Does Amur Maple Look Like

Amur maple can be either a small tree or a multi-stemmed shrub whose canopy is typically as wide as the tree is tall. The tree tends to leaf out early in the spring. The leaves are opposite with toothed edges. They have three lobes, and a typical feature of Amur maple is that the middle lobe is much longer than the side lobes. During the summer, the leaves are dark green. In the fall they turn yellow, red, or orange depending on the cultivar.

In midspring, creamy white and long flower panicles appear on the tree. Unlike those of most other maples, Amur maple flowers are fragrant. Over the summer, they develop into the winged samaras that are typical for maples. Amur maple samaras are small, about ¾ to 1 inch long, pink or reddish in the summer, and turning brown when ripening.

How to Get Rid of Amur Maple

If your Amur maple is within 300 feet of a habitat that the tree could invade, find out whether it has already spread beyond control in other backyards, open lands, and along rights of way. If that is the case and Amur maple is already a problem where you live, it would be best to remove the tree and apply a wide-spectrum herbicide such as glyphosate on the cut stump to prevent it from growing back.

If Amur maple is not (yet) problematic in your area, keep monitoring your yard for any seedlings that emerge and hand-pull them with all their roots. This is best done after a rain when the soil is wet. If the sapling is too big already and you cannot remove it by hand, dig it out to remove all of the roots, or use the cut stump herbicide treatment method.

If you are dealing with numerous small seedlings around a mature tree, you can also mow them but you need to repeat this often.

In any event, even if Amur maple is not considered invasive in your area, keep an eye out for any seedlings and remove them promptly.

From: thespruce