Puget Sound Native Tree
Botanical Garden
People have created across the United States lists of the largest individual tree of many species as well as typical size of each in a mature forest. They call the largest tree a CHAMPION TREE, for bragging rights.
Big Leaf Maple
acer macrophyllum
Typical dimensions of a large tree of this species in a mature forest:
Height:
Diameter:
Champion tree for this species:
Height:
Diameter:
100 ft
6 ft
80 ft
3 ft
Local raccoons climb up into the trees and take a crap on the largest horizontal limb. We've recorded the same location for over 20 years.
Dolphin Place
Original
Broadleaf Trees
Big Leaf Maple
acer macrophyllum
Click an image to enlarge, click again to reurn
Bigleaf maples (Acer macrophyllum), also called Oregon maples, are large, fast-growing deciduous trees native to the Pacific Northwest, famous for their huge, deeply lobed leaves, the biggest of any maple. They provide dense shade, support diverse wildlife, and are used for lumber and syrup, offering brilliant fall colors and unique, molasses-flavored syrup from their sap
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bark carries moss and ferns, older bark on slow growing trees in dry locations get wrapped with crossed ridges
Bigleaf maples that grow in shaded wet locations sometimes create numerous nodules and burls. The stress side of the tree causes longitudinal wavy wood as well.
This tree species was found growing at the following location when the property was purchased in 1973:
Exact data was not collected at the time. The following is data recorded in 2025.
Largest tree for this species within Dolphin Place Open Space:
Height:
Diameter:
60 ft topped
30 inches
Dolphin Place
Big Leaf Maple
acer macrophyllum
largest leaves of maples in world
bark carries moss and ferns, older bark on slow growing trees in dry locations get wrapped with crossed ridges
flowers and seeds occur before leaves, seeds have wings which allow them to fly like locusts in the heavy fall winds
