Sign 16
Maple ‘Autumn Blaze’
Acer × freemanii
‘Jeffersred’
- Bloom Time:
- March–April
- Family:
- Soapberry (Sapindaceae)
- Form:
- Tree, Deciduous
Tree
Description: The Autumn Blaze Maple blooms in early spring. Spring blooms attract bees and birds. The tree boasts beautiful fall foliage. It’s a deciduous tree approximately 40-55’ tall x 30-40’ wide.
Maples have long given people syrup, shade, & some of the finest fall color in North America. Their wood has been crafted into furniture, bowls, & musical instruments for centuries. Autumn Blaze carries on that heritage with brilliant red foliage that draws leaf-peepers every October.
Photo: Deinocheirus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More plant info
What to look for
Autumn Blaze is grown above all for its fall color, a long-lasting orange-red. In spring look for red buds and early flowers. It rarely sets seed, so there are few helicopters to sweep up.
The story behind it
Freeman maple is a cross between our native red maple and silver maple, named for Oliver Freeman of the U.S. National Arboretum, who made the cross in 1933. Autumn Blaze was found in the late 1960s by nurseryman Glenn Jeffers in Ohio and named in 1980 under the cultivar name ‘Jeffersred’. It combines the fast growth of silver maple with the fall color of red maple.
Growing it at home
It grows fast, takes full sun and a wide range of soils, and has stronger branch angles than silver maple. Give it room: it reaches about 40 to 55 feet tall.
Sources
Guided tours of the arboretum are free, by appointment. Text Mary at 978-887-4202.