With their vibrant foliage, maple trees are popular options for adding stunning color to landscapes. No matter how big your yard is or what the weather is like in your location, a variety of maple will work for you. Our list of 15 types of maple trees will help you pick the perfect one for your landscape.
Japanese Maple
Japanese maple trees, with their elegant form and foliage, have been treasured throughout the centuries. There are hundreds of varieties to choose from, with beautifully serrated green or red foliage. In general, Japanese maples remain compact and can fit into tight spaces. You also can grow them as a bonsai.
Botanical Name: Acer palmatum
Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade
Zones: 5–8
Coral Bark Maple
Year-round color! That's what you get with coral bark maple. This type of maple tree has reddish-pink bark and pale green leaves that turn bright yellow in the fall. In the winter, the color of the tree's bark brightens, so it stands out in a snowy landscape.
Botanical Name: Acer palmatum 'Sangokaku'
Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade
Size: 15–20 feet tall, 12 feet wide
Zones: 5–8
Paperbark Maple
This gorgeous, slow-growing maple tree is perfect for small yards and develops lovely, peeling red-brown bark. In addition, this maple variety produces bright green foliage, which turns reddish-yellow in fall.
Botanical Name: Acer griseum
Growing Conditions: Full sun
Size: 20–30 feet tall, 12 feet wide
Zones: 5–7
Sugar Maple
When it comes to fall color, sugar maples are at the top of the list. These native maple trees are spectacular in autumn when their foliage turns vibrant red, orange, and yellow. They make excellent shade trees for large backyards. There are several options, but 'Green Mountain' is one of the most popular because it's drought-resistant.
Botanical Name: Acer saccharum
Growing Conditions: Full sun
Size: 50–75 feet tall, 30–45 feet wide
Zones: 4–8
Silver Maple
Silver maple is a graceful, fast-growing maple tree that is best planted in moist locations away from buildings because it tends to drop branches. They have aggressive root systems that can infiltrate sewer systems, so plant it away from underground pipes. Hybrids such as 'Silver Queen' or 'Silver Cloud' are less messy and aggressive.
Botanical Name: Acer saccharinum
Growing Conditions: Full sun
Size: 60–80 feet tall, 40–60 feet wide
Zones: 3–9
Red Maple
A North American native, red maple trees form an oval crown of bright green leaves that turn fiery red in autumn. Red maple grows at a moderate rate and makes a sturdy, beautiful shade tree. Look for top varieties such as 'Red Sunset', 'October Glory', 'Red Supersonic', 'Ruby Frost', and 'Columnar'.
Botanical Name: Acer rubrum
Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade
Size: 40–60 feet tall, 30–40 feet wide
Zones: 3–9
Hedge Maple
The rounded form of hedge maple is easily sheared to any height to create a privacy screen or living wall. In the fall, this maple tree develops pretty, pale yellow leaves. 'Metro Gold' and 'Royal Ruby' are reliable varieties with bold fall colors.
Botanical Name: Acer campestre
Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade
Size: 20–35 feet tall, 20–30 feet wide
Zones: 5–8
Crimson King Maple
This popular purple-leaf maple tree is actually a form of the common Norway maple. In fall, the foliage of 'Crimson King' maple turns a deep maroon. Like other Norway maples, it can be invasive in some regions.
Botanical Name: Acer platanoides 'Crimson King'
Growing Conditions: Full sun
Size: 35–45 feet tall, 25–30 feet wide
Zones: 3–7
Snakebark Maple
Named for its unique, striped bark, snakebark maple is a relatively compact type of maple tree, making it a good choice for small backyards. Plant these small trees where you can admire their spectacular bark, which becomes more colorful with age.
Botanical Name: Acer pectinatum ssp. forrestii
Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade
Size: 15–20 feet tall, 15 feet wide
Zones: 5–9
Korean Maple
If you love Japanese maple trees but live in a region where they won't survive the winter, try Korean maple. These rugged, small trees can tolerate cold temperatures. The trees have deeply lobed, dark green leaves that turn crimson in autumn. This type of maple tree loves full sun and partial shade.
In the spring, Korean maples develop small purple flowers that add to the color show. They also grow well in containers. Korean maple does not like hot, dry conditions.
Botanical Name: Acer pseudosieboldiana
Growing Conditions: Full Sun, Partial Shade
Size: 15–25 feet tall, 15 feet wide
Zones: 4–8
Trident Maple
Resistant to air pollution, trident maple is a good choice for street-side plantings. In the fall, this variety of maple trees' bright green lobed foliage changes to deep scarlet and orange. Trident maple grows slowly, so it rarely needs pruning. Plant this red maple tree in full sun or partial shade.
Trident maple makes an excellent low-maintenance shade tree, especially for smaller yards. It's also relatively drought and disease-resistant. Look for varieties 'Naruto' or 'Ningpoense'.
Botanical Name: Acer buergerianum
Growing Conditions: Full Sun, Partial Shade
Size: 20–30 feet tall, 20–30 feet wide
Zones: 5–9
Three-Flowered Maple
Also called rough bark maple, this versatile, small maple tree grows well in shade or sun and develops interesting ridges or knobs on the trunk as it matures. It is one of the few varieties of maple trees that develop fall color even if grown in the shade. You can plant this type of maple in any soil condition—it's very low maintenance.
Three-flowered maple looks great in four seasons, has few pest or disease problems, and is drought resistant.
Botanical Name: Acer triflorum
Growing Conditions: Full Sun, Shade
Size: 20 feet tall, 20 feet wide
Zones: 5–9
Morton Miyabe Maple
First selected at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, the award-winning Morton miyabe maple has proved itself a durable, easy-care maple tree with fantastic fall color. This type of maple tree's dense branches make it a terrific shade tree, but it prefers to grow in full sun.
This adaptable and hardy maple is tolerant to heat, cold, soil type, and urban pollution. It is not invasive and would be a good substitute for ash trees where ash borer problems exist. Two excellent selections are the 'State Street' and 'Rugged Ridge' varieties.
Botanical Name: Acer miyabei
Growing Conditions: Full Sun
Size: 40–50 feet tall, 30–35 feet wide
Zones: 4–6
Tatarian Maple
A relative of the Amur maple, the Tatarian maple is a tough, attractive maple tree that tolerates cold winters and hot summers. Look for varieties of maple trees that develop spectacular scarlet seedpods, such as 'Hot Wings'. These types of seedlings grow fabulously in the summer, preferring full-sun to partial-shade conditions. Variety 'Rugged Charm' is also an excellent option for small yards because it stays compact.
Botanical Name: Acer tataricum
Growing Conditions: Full Sun, Partial Shade
Size: 15–20 feet tall, 15 to 20 feet wide
Zones: 3–8
Black Maple
Although closely related to sugar maple, black maples are more heat and drought-resistant. Otherwise, these close cousins are similar except for leaf shape. Black maple leaves have three lobes, while sugar maples have the traditional five lobes.
Black maples form a large, rounded crown, making it an exceptional shade tree. In the fall, their leaves turn brilliant shades of yellow and red.
Botanical Name: Acer saccharum nigrum
Growing Conditions: Full sun
Size: 50–75 feet tall, 50 feet wide
Zones: 4–8