Spotted in New Westminster: a European maple that outcompetes native trees
iNaturalist: cwf_max
Invasive Species
If you're pulling seedlings out of your garden beds every spring without knowing what they are, this could be the culprit: sycamore maple self-seeds aggressively and can crowd out native bigleaf maple and understory plants in Pacific Northwest yards and parks.
Someone in New Westminster spotted and photographed a sycamore maple tree, and other naturalists confirmed the identification, making it a research-grade record on iNaturalist. This tree isn't native to North America; it was brought over from Europe and now spreads on its own in coastal BC and the Pacific Northwest, often popping up in forest edges and untended yards.
Key Findings
Observation reached 'research-grade' status on iNaturalist, meaning the species ID was confirmed by community consensus.
Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) is non-native to North America, originating in central and southern Europe.
The species is known to naturalize readily in Pacific Northwest urban and forested areas, including the New Westminster region.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A birdwatcher or hiker in New Westminster, BC logged a verified sighting of sycamore maple, a fast-spreading European tree that's become a common invasive in Pacific Northwest forests and parks.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) observed in New Westminster
Research-grade observation of sycamore maple in New Westminster.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Acer pseudoplatanus, known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of maple native to Central Europe and Western Asia. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved tree, tolerant of wind and coastal exposure.