Globe Norway Maple – Acer platanoides ‘Globosum’

Norway Maple is considered an invasive species in North America.

Norway maple is native to Central Europe and the south of Scandinavia, eastwards into Russia and south to northern Turkey. This cultivar has been bred to provide an interesting, compact maple specimen for the smaller landscape or tight places under power lines or other overhead obstructions.

Globe Norway can grow to 15 feet with a spread of nearly 20, projecting a very formal shape with a dense canopy. A slow-growing but long-lived tree to 70 years, the invasive potential cannot be overstated. Norway maple is a profligate seed producer and can escape captivity and play hell with native sugar maple populations in North America. It is for this reason the Norway is being phased out of cultivation at many nurseries. However, this tree is popular as a shade and street tree in Europe.

This specimen resides at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. If you love trees, this is the place for you!

Maples are susceptible to many diseases such as verticillium wilt, anthracnose, powdery mildew, and a fungus: Armillaria root rot.

The Armillaria fungus attacks many hardwoods and conifers, especially maples, oaks, and elms. Black, stringy rhizomorphs grow through the soil into the roots and trunk of the tree and attack the wood. The Armillaria fungus is the world’s largest known organism, bigger than the 200-ton blue whale. A patch of Armillaria was discovered in Oregon in 1998 covering 2,384 acres.

Morton Arboretum accession tag 2008. Every “specimen” at the Morton has one, on the south side of the plant. I spent hundreds of hours photographing trees at the Morton in the years 2005-2011, and I spent hours searching for these tags. (Hint: sometimes it’s not easy and you have to give up.) Some days I took 600 photos or more.

It was one of the most joyful experiences of my life- and the accession tags taught me to learn botany in situ. Thank you, Joy Morton and all the scientists and groundskeepers and workers who have carried the Morton into the 21st century as one of the premier museums of woody plants in the world.

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