Scientific Name
Acer grandidentatum
Bigtooth maple, also called canyon maple or Wasatch maple, is a moderately sized tree with a rugged personality and is barely native to far western Colorado. Its main range is in the mountains of Utah, along the Wyoming-Idaho border, and in scattered areas of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. On harsh sites or at high elevations, it can take on a shrubby form. The leaves resemble those of sugar maple, though smaller, and in its native habitat, the tree puts on a brilliant red fall display. True to the maple family, it produces the characteristic double-winged seeds.
Some botanists once considered it a western-adapted variety of sugar maple, but most now recognize it as a distinct species. It is tougher than sugar maple for our region, handling local soils and climate with greater ease, though sugar maples can still thrive with a bit more care.
Colorado’s largest bigtooth maples reach about 38 feet tall with 15-inch-diameter trunks. Fall color in urban areas can be variable, often less vivid than the blazing reds seen in its native range, but each year brings its own surprises. Cultivars introduced to urban landscapes include the popular ‘Rocky Mountain Glow.’ Another promising selection, ‘Manzano,’ comes from a mountainous area in New Mexico and shows exceptional drought tolerance. Two young ‘Manzano’ maples are currently growing in the Regis nurseries and may soon become part of the Arboretum.