The only maple native to Britain, and perhaps the most underappreciated. Every hedgerow benefits from Field Maple standards, nurturing wildlife while adding a spectacular golden autumn display. Commonly found in semi-natural broadleaved woodland and hedgerows.

Native across much of north-west Europe, including Britain but not Ireland (a neophyte there), Norway or Portugal, extending into northern Algeria and east through Turkey, the Balkans, Caucasus and Iran. It is widespread in England and Wales but less frequent in Ireland and northern Scotland.

Monoecious, producing hermaphrodite flowers (functioning as either male or female) although some individuals are consistently single-sex. Mostly but not exclusively insect-pollinated. Fruits are double samaras, dispersed by gravity and wind.

Medium (25m), with a strong central trunk, often multi-stemmed in old cut hedgerows, and a densely twiggy canopy. Bark pale brown, becoming corky with small square plates. Twigs soon glabrous, often corky-ridged (like Field Elm); buds opposite, small, brown. Foliage often turns bright golden yellow in autumn. Leaves palmate with 3-5 slightly rounded, few-toothed lobes, downy then glabrous above, undersides paler with vein-axil tufts, on a 5cm petiole that exudes milky sap when broken. Flowers yellow-green in semi-erect corymbs as the leaves flush. Samaras with wings almost 180 degrees apart, maturing October. Sycamore differs: green buds, more pointed toothed leaves. Norway Maple differs: more toothed leaves with whiskered tips.

Thrives on heavy, fertile lowland soils. Very shade-tolerant when young but needs more light later, hence larger specimens are usually at woodland edges or in the open. It commonly grows with other broadleaves in semi-natural ancient woodland on alkaline soils, alongside Common Ash and Hazel with a Dog's-mercury ground flora. Many cultivars exist, popular as pollution-tolerant street trees, including 'Carnival' (variegated), 'Elsrijk' (ascending branches), 'Postelense' (golden), 'Red Shine' (red-purple) and 'Evenley Red' (crimson autumn colour).

Many insects benefit from feeding on its pollen, while its foliage is eaten by larvae of many moths. Small mammals feast on fallen seeds.

Generally a robust and healthy species. Verticillium wilt, a soil-borne fungal disease that enters through its roots, can cause wilting and dieback.

Biodiversity, landscape and ornamental. Its timber is rarely available in any size or quantity. It is hard and dense, cream-brown (less pale than Sycamore), finishing very well with a lustrous glow. Traditionally used for small decorative items and turning.