The subsp. grandidentatum, also known as Acer grandidentatum, is often called the Western version of the sugar maple (Acer saccharum). However, it typically grows shorter, sometimes even shrub-like, in specific environments and climates. Its leaves are smaller with blunt teeth. It is uncommon and can be found in scattered populations from south Montana through Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas to Coahuila, Mexico, with a concentration centered in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. It is most often seen growing in valleys, canyons, foothills, slopes, and mountain stream banks at elevations between 3000 and 7000 feet, but it may occasionally be found in some low desert areas.
Many names, including bigtooth maple, Wasatch maple, canyon maple, and western sugar maple, know this plant. The size of the plant is greatly influenced by moisture, climate, and growing conditions. Shrubs, often found in drier sites such as canyon slopes, can grow 10-20 feet tall, while tree forms, often found in moist sites such as canyon floors, can grow as tall as 50 feet. In cultivation, it most often grows as a small tree rising to 20-30 feet tall and wide. The dark green leaves, each up to 4 inches long and wide, have 3-5 blunt lobes, with the three upper lobes being large, but the two lower lobes are usually suppressed or absent. The fall color ranges from red to yellow to orange. The appellant's yellow-green flowers in pendant clusters (up to 2 inches long) bloom in spring (April-May) and are followed by pairs of samaras, which mature in fall. The bark is smooth, thin, and gray-brown. The tree sap may be tapped for syrup equivalent to that obtained from sugar maple species.
This plant grows best in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. It thrives best in moist soils in full sun. This plant has a slightly better tolerance for heat and drought than sugar maple species, which grow in eastern and central North America.
