Acer negundo Auratum - Boxelder maple

The Acer negundo 'Auratum' is a variety of boxelder maple with a beautiful golden colour. Its spring foliage displays a magnificent golden yellow hue, contrasting with the red petioles. In summer, the greener foliage retains yellow highlights. This old female cultivar is always very interesting for its bright foliage, whether planted in isolation in a garden with moist, cool soil, or in drier conditions once established.

The Acer negundo, also known as Boxelder Maple, American Maple, or Negundo Maple, belongs to the Aceraceae family. It is native to the western United States and Virginia, but is also found in Florida, Canada, and Quebec. It is considered an invasive species that has naturalised in France, particularly in Corsica, where it is subspontaneous and subject to special monitoring. This robust, light-loving species prefers the vicinity of watercourses and wet areas, but can tolerate somewhat dry summers once established. It prefers clay-limestone soils, but can adapt to a wide range of moderately acidic soils. In nature, the Acer negundo forms a wide-crowned tree, reaching a height of 15 metres. It is a deciduous tree that sheds its leaves in autumn.

The 'Auratum' cultivar is smaller, reaching a height of 5 to 7 metres with a spread of 4 metres. It forms a short and stout single trunk, with low branches if given space. If surrounded by other shrubs or trees, it will tend to grow taller to seek light. Its habit is naturally oval, rounded, regular, and harmonious, supported by thin and fragile branches that are quite brittle. Its rough bark is ash-grey and cracks over time, taking on a darker grey tone. The young branches are bluish-green and covered with a white bloom. The leaves, 5 to 10 cm long, are divided into 3 to 9 ovate leaflets with pointed tips and very toothed edges. They are golden yellow in spring and chartreuse green-yellow in summer. Flowering, which is quite decorative, occurs in April-May, around the same time or slightly before the young leaves develop. It takes the form of thick clusters of pendulous female flowers, greenish-yellow in colour. This old cultivar, discovered in 1891 by Späth in Berlin, is sometimes sold under the name Acer negundo 'Odessanum'.

Acer negundo ‘Auratum’ prefers a sheltered location away from strong winds and moist soil. Once established, it can tolerate drier soil. This small tree is stunning when planted in isolation in the middle of a lawn, in a medium-sized garden. In a small garden, regular pruning is necessary to control its size. It can also be used to illuminate a darker area of the garden or create a colour contrast with a shrub or small tree with purple foliage, such as a Black Lace elderberry. In a park, at the base of large trees, it creates an interesting intermediate-sized vegetal screen.