| General Description | A commonly known tree for the great orange and red autumn colours it produces. It is a fast growing tree that only needs to be pruned if necessary. It was tree of the year in 2004 presented by the Society of Municipal Arborists. |
| ID Characteristic | The formation and shape of the leaf is palmate. The silver underside of the leaf comes from the parent plant Acer saccharinum and the beautiful orange and red autumn colour comes from the Acer rubrum. The bark is grey and smooth but becomes channelled with age. |
| Shape | Often broad oval crown in shape that may need some pruning on a regular basis. |
| Landscape | This is a fantastic tree for urban areas or even in the city. It can be used for a partial windbreak, shade or even a parkway/street. Lining these trees down streets are fantastic in the autumn as you get the beautiful orange and red leaves. It is quite adaptable to water logging or even dry periods. |
| Propagation | This tree has a high risk when propagated due to grafting incompatibility so it should only be propagated from root cuttings or from tissue culture. The tree runs a high risk of grafting incompatibility and the tree will break at the grafting point when it matures. |
| Cultivation | Tolerant to most soils but prefers a slightly acidic soil, and also prefers a moist soil. Loves full sun but can also thrive in partial sun. |
| Pests | Not all but most will attract verticillium wilt and sometimes maple tar spot. |
| Notable Specimens | Veterans Memorial Parkway, London, Ontario, London |
| Habitat | Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description | The bark is smooth to medium texture when young but once it matures it becomes channelled with a dark greyish brown colour. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | In spring the buds are bright red and emerge into a cluster of red flowers. |
| Leaf Description | In early spring the leaves are green with a silver underside. In autumn the leave change to a beautiful bright orange and red colour. The leaf is palmate and grows in alternate arrangements with a smooth feel throughout the season. The stem and veins of the leaf are red throughout the season. |
| Flower Description | Red flowered clusters appear in early spring. The flower attracts insect pollinators. The flowers are small and often looked over. |
| Fruit Description | It is virtually seedless, but may produce green winged samara. |
| Colour Description | In early spring the leaves are a bright green with red veins and a silver backing which comes from the silver maple. As it approaches autumn time the leaves start to become a bright orange and red colour and that where it gets the name Autumn Blaze. |
| Texture Description | Medium texture tree throughout the season. |
