bigleaf maple

American  

[big-leef] / ˈbɪgˌlif /

noun

1. a tree, Acer macrophyllum, of western North America, having large, deeply lobed leaves and fragrant yellow flowers in drooping clusters.

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Etymology

Origin of bigleaf maple

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; big ¹ + leaf

Example Sentences

A mature bigleaf maple in winter in the Pacific Northwest looks like a giant sponge, with mosses growing on anything even close to a ledgelike surface.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 18, 2022

Spot the last glimmers of autumn color on hemlock, Pacific madronas, alders, bigleaf maple and vine maple trees.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 26, 2022

He said researchers had created a bigleaf maple database of more than 1,100 tree samples, covering a region “basically from the U.S.-Mexico border all the way up to Vancouver Island and Canada.”

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2021

Other long-lived Northwest plants also have been dying in unusual numbers in recent years, including bigleaf maple trees, Pacific madrone and Western red cedars.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 28, 2019

Further south, in the San Bernardino Mountains, the black oak, bigleaf maple and aspen trees were starting to pop with orange and lime green, spotters said.

From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2016