Cutleaf form of the species. A medium sized tree 30-40 + ft. vase-shaped upright form. Fast growing and sturdy. Nice apricot-orange fall color.
Re: Acer saccharum 'Sweet Shadow Cutleaf' My favorite cutleaf maple, much prettier than some others. Correctly 'Sweet Shadow'. Introduced by Powell Valley Nursery, Gresham, Oregon during 1961-62. One I found in Renton, Washington measured 44' x 5'0" in 1995. Another, at Rhody Ridge Arboretum, Bothell, Washington was 48' x 2'9" in 1993. See Jacobson, North American Landscape Trees and Van Pelt, Champion Trees of Washington State.
Re: Acer saccharum 'Sweet Shadow Cutleaf' Any thoughts on how this tree will do in Massachusetts (Boston area)?
Re: Acer saccharum 'Sweet Shadow Cutleaf' No reason why it wouldn't grow if other sugar maples are doing well in the same location. Lately there has been a decline of sugar maples in the northeast, due probably to warming of the climate.
Re: Acer saccharum 'Sweet Shadow Cutleaf' This tree should thrive in MA (all things being equal). It's a very desirable tree, but seems to be difficult to get hold of in Europe.
Thanks to both of you re: Boston area. One other question, how tall could it get. My husband is looking for a tree that can replace a 150-200 year old maple that has died. It provides shade for an old 1800's 3 story house. I believe that he is looking for a tree that is 70' or so tall. The lure of the Sweet Shadow Cutleaf is that is a fast grower. What do you think? Any other ideas?
According to the van Gelderens (Maples for Gardens) 'Sweet Shadow Cutleaf' is to 50 ft. Most of the sugar maple cultivars are smaller than the species. Otherwise A. saccharum ssp saccharum is to 130 ft, as is A. saccharum ssp nigrum, not that most get that big. And of course it takes many, many years. 'Brocade' is meant to be similar to 'Sweet Shadow Cutleaf.' Bean notes that in general saccharum "does not grow quickly" which is my recollection from youth in New England (although Bean is probably talking about this side of the pond.)
The habit is not dense - it may not produce a shorter specimen than typical for the species. According to Jacobson, Trees of Seattle - Second Edition (2006) one in the Seattle arboretum had reached 60', another 53' by that time (he probably measured them in 2005). Their accession numbers indicate these were both planted out during 1963. Heights of other individual examples listed by Jacobson for locations elsewhere in Seattle were determined by him to be 54 1/2', 53 1/2', 52', and 43'. Seattle is in USDA 8.
