Acer rubrum ‘Bowhall’ – Bowhall Maple

Botanical Name: Acer rubrum ‘Bowhall’

Alternate Name: Bowhall Red Maple

Bowhall Maple or Bowhall Red Maple (Acer rubrum ‘Bowhall’) is a medium to large sized deciduous tree, which grows to reach around 50 feet in height and 15 feet in width. Its beautiful, elegant columnar shape forms a striking silhouette throughout the seasons. It has a fairly low canopy which starts at around 5 feet. This maple is too tall to plant under power lines.

The Bowhall Red Maple has green, medium-sized leaves around 3 inches in length and width that have the typical, maple palmate shape. They have five pointed lobes with finely serrated edges.

In early spring, tiny red flowers cover the bare wood to create a showy display on the ‘Bowhall’.  The leaves then fill in the canopy with a beautiful delicate red sheen. Later in the spring, pretty red winged samaras follow the flowers.

The Bowhall Red Maple will tolerate moderate to wet soil conditions and can withstand some standing water. It prefers acidic soil and will exhibit chlorosis of the leaves if the tree is planted in alkaline soil. The easiest way to avoid this is to incorporate a fair amount of compost and organic material into the planting site to encourage a more acidic pH.

The Bowhall Maple will also tolerate some pollution, and combined with its narrow stature, it is a perfect candidate to line roadways.

Bowhall is fairly long-lived – it can live up to 80 years old.