Field maple or Norway maple: how to tell them apart?
Field maple and Norway maple look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.
⚡ The quick answer
Field maple
Acer campestre
Norway maple
Acer platanoides
Field maple has generally smaller leaves and more rounded lobes than Norway maple; its young shoots may also bear corky ridges, absent on Norway maple.
🍃 Leaves
Small opposite leaves, with 3 to 5 rounded lobes, often with a cordate base; they generally measure 5 to 10 cm.
Large opposite leaves with 5 lobes, generally 10 to 20 cm, with broad, shallowly cut lobes; the sinuses between the lobes are often fairly open.
🌸 Flowers
Small erect racemes, yellowish green
Erect corymbs, bright yellow, very visible before the leaves appear
🍎 Fruits
Samaras with parallel, almost opposite wings
Samaras with almost horizontal, widely spread wings
🪵 Bark
Light brown, often corky and cracked into strips
Dark grey, finely cracked, never flaking
📏 Size
8 to 15 m tall
20 to 30 m tall
🗺️ Habitat
Hedges, woodland edges and open woods
Lowland forests, often planted in towns
⚠️ Toxicity
No known toxicity
No known toxicity
🔎 And from the Norway maple side
Field maple has generally smaller leaves and more rounded lobes than Norway maple; its young shoots may also bear corky ridges, absent on Norway maple.
🌿 Go further
Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.