bigleaf maple

Also known as Oregon Maple, Broadleaf Maple

Dominating the damp forest understories and river valleys of the Pacific coast, this imposing hardwood produces the largest leaves of any maple, frequently spanning over thirty centimeters across. Its sprawling limbs create dense canopy microclimates that support enormous draperies of epiphytic mosses, lichens, and ferns, weighing up to four times more than the foliage itself. In spring, pendulous racemes of fragrant yellow-green blossoms emerge alongside unfurling leaves, drawing native pollinators before yielding large, bristly winged seeds.