Acer macrophyllum Tubbs Fire

Acer macrophyllum Tubbs Fire is a wonderful variegated Big Leaf Maple tree that has striking yellow and white splashes of color on its’ large Macrophyllum leaves. The leaf variegation is bold in color with a distinct division of color. A bonus feature is that new bark often has pink and white striations!

The Tubbs Fire Big Leaf maple has leaves the same size as the native, is fairly fast growing and will grow to an approximate height of 25′ in 10 years (similar to the the native, but perhaps slightly slower due to the variegation). The Tubbs Fire maple is hardy and can tolerate a decent amount of sun and heat, though not quite as heat tolerant as the native – the yellow portions of the leaf can burn in intense sun climates.

The original plant specimen was found growing in the wild, in the burned area of the Tubbs Fire in Sonoma county, CA in 2019 by Lucas Dexter. Lucas who has a keen eye for finding new varieties of plants in the wild, discovered the plant growing as a sport basal sprout from where a Big Leaf maple tree was lost growing in the 2017 Tubbs Fire.

The only other known variegate found through online searches list ‘Santiam’ as a cultivar with variegation – though not very similar to Tubbs Fire.

Available late Spring