The mountain maple is particularly striking due to its visual appeal, which is especially evident in autumn when it displays its bright yellow foliage. Older specimens also look almost elegant with their flaking silvery-gray bark. The mountain maple is often planted in avenues and parks. The hard, light wood of this relatively slow-growing tree is popular for use as veneer or for making musical instruments. 

• Origin: Europe, Western Asia

• Height: 25-35 meters

• Leaves: Dark green, gray hairs on underside, 5-lobed, yellow in fall

• Flower: May, yellowish-green, up to 12 cm long, multi-flowered hanging clusters

• Fruit: Winged fruits remain on the tree until winter
  

• Soil/location: generally undemanding, medium to heavy calcareous soils with good drainage, tolerates partial shade, but only moderate prolonged dry periods

• Special feature: No other deciduous tree dares to grow higher in our latitudes. In the higher low mountain ranges such as the Black Forest and the Alps, it grows in communities with conifers up to the tree line at 1,500–2,500 meters.