How do you recognise Montpellier maple (Acer monspessulanum)?

Leaf

Pierre Crouzet, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Montpellier maple

Acer monspessulanum L.

Also known as: Montpelier maple

Family: Sapindaceae

6 to 12 m tall

Dry, chalky hillsides of southern France

Flowering: April – May

Part shade

Full sun

-28°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

The only three-lobed maple whose leaf margin is perfectly smooth, without any teeth. Field maple has leaves with 3-5 rounded lobes and an often cordate base, a common habit in hedges, whereas Montpelier maple has leaves with 3 clearly distinct lobes, leathery and glossy, typical of the Mediterranean maquis.

🍃 Leaves

Small opposite leaves, generally with 3 shallow lobes, leathery, triangular to rounded in shape, often around 4 to 8 cm.

🌸 Flowers

Small erect racemes, yellow-green

🍎 Fruits

Samaras with parallel wings

🪵 Bark

Grey-brown, cracked

🗺️ Distribution

Mediterranean basin; common in southern France on dry, chalky hillsides

🐝 Value for pollinators

Inconspicuous but nectar-rich spring flowering, visited by bees

✂️ Horticultural uses

Planted as a hedge or specimen in Mediterranean gardens for its drought resistance

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No known toxicity

⚠️ Look-alike species

Montpellier maple

Acer monspessulanum

Field maple

Acer campestre

Field maple has leaves with 3-5 rounded lobes and an often cordate base, a common habit in hedges, whereas Montpelier maple has leaves with 3 clearly distinct lobes, leathery and glossy, typical of the Mediterranean maquis.

🌿 Other Sapindaceae to discover

Sycamore maple

Acer pseudoplatanus

Horse chestnut

Aesculus hippocastanum

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.