Big Leaf Maple: Deciduous tree, 50-75(100) ft [15-23(300 m], ascending becoming rounded, shallow root system. Leaves, opposite, simple, 20-30 cm across, lustrous dark green above, pale beneath, 3-5 toothed lobes, petiole yields milky sap when detached. Flowers in early spring, they are small, 10 mm across, greenish-yellow, fragrant, in drooping clusters, 10-15 cm long. Fruit (samara), large, 4 cm long, hang down in racemes, seeds very pubescent. Foliage yellow to gold in fall. Sun to part spade. Prefers a cool moist environment as that in the Pacific Northwest. Zone (5)6 Alaska to Southern California.