Acer pseudoplatanus Corstorphinense - Sycamore maple

Acer pseudoplatanus 'Corstorphinense' is a variety of Sycamore Maple whose young foliage emerges in a beautiful golden colour. It turns green quite late and, when autumn comes, it turns yellow again. This deciduous tree of medium size is best planted as a specimen to highlight it, or at the edge of large trees to provide it with a light shade that it appreciates. Adapting to most fertile and moist soils, as well as urban atmospheres, it is best for large spaces, as it can grow in size as it ages and has a long lifespan.

The Maple is the most important genus in the small family Aceraceae (which only has one other member, Dipteronia). There are at least 150 species of Maples, native to the entire northern hemisphere (America, Europe, and Asia). They are mostly trees, but sometimes also shrubs, like the beautiful Japanese Maples, almost all deciduous, except for Acer sempervirens. However, they all have opposite leaves and double samara fruits, the "helicopters" of our childhood, which helps to identify them.
Acer pseudoplatanus is a European species, also known as Sycamore, with palmate leaves and large growth. It can reach a height of 30 m at maturity and live up to 500 years. It is found up to 1500 m altitude in the Alps, growing in fertile soils. It likes cool terrains and, although it can develop in sunny exposure, it appreciates partial shade, such as at the edge of a forest. The botanical species has given rise to several horticultural varieties, mostly selected for their purple, variegated, or yellow foliage.
The 'Corstorphinense' Sycamore gets its name from the village of Corstorphine (now a suburb of Edinburgh in Scotland). An ancient tree lived there for over 500 years until 1998, when it was destroyed by a storm. The story goes that the Corstorphinense variety originated from this tree, unless it is a sport (a mutation) of another venerable tree located at Craigflower House, in the coastal region of Fife, also in Scotland. In any case, this naturally occurring variety produces large trees in its country of origin, reaching a height of 25 m and a massive trunk circumference of 4.60 m. In your garden, after 10 years of planting, it should measure up to 7.50 m in height, with an approximate spread of 6 m.
This tree is appreciated for its beautiful palmate foliage, coloured golden yellow with slight orange reflections in spring, when the young shoots emerge. The leaves then gradually evolve to a chartreuse green before finally turning green, later in June. The palmate leaves are composed of five lobes, three large ones and two much smaller lateral ones. They measure an average of about 15 cm in length, with a similar width. Opposite, as in all Maples, the large leaves are borne on long petioles, about a dozen centimetres long. In autumn, they turn yellow again before falling. The small, greenish-yellow flowers, open in April in pendulous spikes measuring 6 to 12 cm long and are nectar-rich. The fruits have two wings, 2.5 cm long, forming an angle of 60 to 90°, and appear on mature subjects.

The 'Corstorphinense' Sycamore will stand out as a specimen or at the edge of larger trees. It is very hardy and adapts to any soil that is sufficiently deep, well-drained, and not too dry. Plant ornamental shrubs like Cornus mas 'Jolico', a male Dogwood that will offer you a magnificent early yellow flowering, before the leaves, decorative and edible red fruits, and beautiful autumn colours predominantly red, under its shade. A Silver California Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium 'Argenteum') with its finely semi-evergreen foliage, mostly green with creamy-white margins, will create a beautiful contrast with the larger foliage of your Sycamore. Less common but easy to grow and highly decorative, Lonicera tatarica, a shrubby Honeysuckle, will offer you a beautiful light pink spring flowering, followed by decorative orange fruits in summer.