I love the colour of these samaras, and their nice fat shape, so I'd like to be able to greet this tree by name when I see it. It's a street tree in Vancouver's West End (Nicola St). I have no idea if it's common or rare, though I haven't been able to find anything exactly like it via a search. I can't tell how tall it should be, as its growth seems stunted by another type of tree that's growing around it. This photo was taken in June.
OK, here are two photos without flash, and one with flash that makes it easier to see the brownish fuzz on the underside of the leaf. I collared the first passerby to estimate the height for me - he guessed it to be about 30 ft (about 9m). I was wrong about its being a street tree. It hangs completely over the sidewalk, but is actually growing in the corner of a vacant lot with a development permit sign, but the aforementioned passerby assured me that property owners are not supposed to remove trees. It does seem to be doing a good job of feeding aphids and white flies.
Thank you Michael ,good idea. The new images clearly show it is not Acer Spicatum.The leaf size and shape now suggest Acer Pseudoplatanus[Sycamore Maple]
Great. Thanks, guys. There seems to be some variation in what that species can look like. I don't think I'd have got as excited if "my" tree just looked like the trees in the photos I've seen on the internet. Now I see the post on Samaras under the Acer thread (with Michael's not bad pun). Maybe I finally noticed this tree because it looks particularly good this year.
