History and uses
Field maple was first recorded as the common lesser maple by Thomas Johnson “The Father of British field botany" in 1632.2. It has a number of regional names, maplin-tree, cat-oak, whitty-bush and spinning jenny – after the helicopter action of the spinning samara seeds when shed. These seeds or “keys” are also known as money-in-both-pockets, haskets and lady’s lockets.3. Field maple has never had much use as a timber tree, it is small and grows slowly, although the wood is an attractive white colour and hard. It has been used for flooring and in furniture and is popular for turning, especially for large drinking cups called mazers.
Associated species
A tree of ancient hedgerows and woodland, field maple supports over 100 mites and insects
4. as well as providing resources for pollinators and useful cover for birds. It is one of the food plants for the larvae of many moth species including the small yellow wave
Hydrelia flammeolaria and mocha
Cyclophora annularia. The small red raised spots sometimes seen on the upperside of its leaves are caused by the
mite gall,
Aceria aceriscampestris and does not harm the plant.
The striking golden yellow leaves in autumn will provide additional colour to your hedge and, in winter, additional dry leaf cover for hedgehogs.
References
1. Stace, C. and Crawley, M.J. (2015) Alien Plants. New Naturalist HarperCollins p. 387
2. Pearman, D. (2017). The Discovery of the Native Flora of Britain and Ireland, A compilation of the first records for 1670 species and aggregates, covering Great Britain, Ireland, The Channel Isles and the Isle of Man. Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland. p.83
3. Vickery, R. 2019. Vickery’s Folk Flora, An A to Z of the Folklore and Uses of British and Irish Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London p257
Page drafted by Caroline Ware, extended and compiled by Steve Head