Acer platanoides Gurba - Norway Maple

Acer platanoides 'Gurba' is a Polish cultivar of the Norway Maple, a small tree with a spherical crown filled with dense foliage. It has slow growth and reaches a height of 2.5m to 3.5m after 10 years. The deciduous, slightly wavy leaves emerge in spring as yellow-green, before darkening in summer. In autumn, they turn red. The Norway Maple is not very demanding in terms of soil, as long as it is well-draining and deep enough to accommodate its powerful root system. This variety tolerates shaded situations.                                                               

Native to the Caucasus region and widely spread in Europe, from Scandinavia to Spain and as far as Russia in the east, Acer platanoides is a large deciduous tree with rapid growth, often associated with oak, lime, and elm in upland forests. It can live up to 200 years. 'Gurba' is a Polish variety. The name comes from Gurba, a village where the variety was found. At 10 years old, this single-trunk tree with an upright habit and a round and dense crown reaches a height of 2.5m to 3.5m. Its foliage is deciduous. The leaves are opposite, palmate, 10 to 20 cm long, with 5 to 7 very sharp, toothed lobes. The leaves, carried by long petioles, are smooth and glossy. They take on a beautiful coppery-red colour in autumn. The flowering, in the form of corymbs of tiny yellow-green flowers, is particularly nectar-rich. It is followed, in June, by winged, 3 to 5cm long fruits called samaras. The bark of this tree is grey-brown, almost smooth, marked with numerous shallow longitudinal cracks.

Acer platanoides 'Gurba' is an easy-to-grow tree, suitable for any type of soil as long as it is deep and not too moist. It tolerates shaded exposures. It is suitable for urban environments and shows good resistance to harsh weather conditions. In gardens of all sizes, it brings its rounded silhouette, either as a standalone feature in a lawn or near a terrace.