One of the advantages of gardening on the southern Great Plains is that plants listed as invasive in many reference manuals are not invasive here. Such is the case with Amur Maple. Invasiveness for this tree is, according to the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System, limited to Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and two New England states.
Having said that it can be said that Amur Maple is a superb small tree for Oklahoma gardens and landscapes. When properly trained the tree is limbed up to expose smooth gray bark and a multi-trunk form. The dense, rounded crown is clothed in distinctly three-lobed leaves that turn brilliant shades of red and yellow in fall. Fragrant greenish-white blooms are followed by one inch winged fruit [samaras] that are often brilliant red themselves.
Amur Maple is an excellent tree for smaller gardens. It can be used to create small areas of shade suitable for Hostas, Heucheras and other shade-loving perennials without shading an entire lawn area. Because it usually matures at about 20 feet in height it can be successfully planted under power lines. Once established it shows excellent tolerance to drought and alkaline soils.

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This species from central & northern China and Japan usually is a small tree with a few trunks growing about 15 to 20 feet high, but it can be larger with one trunk and getting about 25 to 30 feet high. The easiest way to ID this maple is that the 1.5 to 3 inch long leaves are three-lobed, with the middle lobe being much longer than the two lateral ones. The straight species usually gets yellow fall color but it can be bright red. A number of cultivars are produced for the red fall color. It is a pretty, smaller maple that I occasionally see planted in parks and public landscapes and in a few yards in the Upper Midwest. Less so in the Mid-Atlantic as the Japanese Maple reigns as the favoured small maple and is actually over-planted in the milder region. Amur Maple is offered by some larger, diverse nurseries in the US. Unfortunately, it is escaping cultivation in some areas and is becoming invasive.

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Grows like a weed, requiring almost no care whatsoever. Beautiful fall foliage and bright green leaves in the spring. Pretty quick grower, too.

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