This is a cultivar of a naturally occurting hybrid of Acer rubrum and Acer saccharinum, named after Oliver Freeman, who made the crossing at the US National Arboretum in the 1930s.

Acer x freemanii Autumn Blaze is a lovely vigorous oval-headed large tree has dark green deeply indented leaves which turn rich flame red in autumn.

Acer rubrum is often specified for this effect but rarely does very well on UK soil as it is dependent on the trace element manganese which it can only access at low pH.

Acer x freemanii Autumn Blaze possesses the prettiness of rubrum but the toughness of saccharinum so it is the much safer bet.

This variety is very highly thought of in the United States where there are nurseries (principally in Oregon) that grow little else to satisfy their domestic market. It is a highly dramatic tree rivalling even Liquidambar for autumn colour.

As a word of caution it is slighly brittle so sites exposed to strong and persistent winds should be avoided.

A good choice for parkland and other open spaces.

We stock these as both single and multi-stemmed.

Mature heights and crown spread can vary depending on environmental conditions

Mature height: 12-17m

Mature spread: 9-14m