Acer platanoides Golden Globe - Norway Maple

Acer platanoides 'Golden Globe' is a cultivar of the Dwarf Norway Maple, with a ball-shaped habit and naturally compact round crown. In early spring, its foliage is salmon pink and quickly turns bright yellow. By the end of summer, the leaves take on a chartreuse to yellow-green colour, and in autumn, a golden yellow. Sometimes, the foliage may bleach. The crown flattens as the tree matures, forming a wide globular head. This Norway Maple appreciates a sunny exposure to showcase its colouring.

Originally from the Caucasus, widely spread in Europe, from Scandinavia to Spain and as far east as Russia, Acer platanoides is a large deciduous tree with fast growth, often found alongside oak, lime, and elm trees in high-altitude forests. It can live up to 200 years. 'Golden Globe' was discovered by the German nurseryman G. Hartung as a variety of A. platanoides 'Globosum', and introduced to the market in 1995. At maturity, this single-stemmed tree with a round habit will reach 5 to 7 m in height and 4 to 6 m in spread. Its foliage is deciduous. The leaves are opposite, palmate, 10 to 20 cm long, with 5 to 7 very pointed, toothed lobes. The leaves, carried on long petioles, are smooth and glossy. The flowering, in the form of corymbs of tiny yellow-green flowers, is particularly nectar-rich. It is followed, in June, by 3 to 5cm long, winged fruits called samaras. The bark of this tree is grey-brown, almost smooth and marked with numerous shallow longitudinal crevices.

Acer platanoides 'Golden Globe' is an easy-to-grow tree, suitable for any type of soil as long as it is deep and not overly wet. It is well-suited for urban environments and shows good resistance to inclement weather. Ideal for small gardens, it brings a rounded silhouette to the middle of a lawn as a specimen tree or near a terrace.