According to observations of naturalists and beekeepers.
Where are you?
NECTAR PRODUCTION:
200 kilograms per ha
SOURCE FOR HONEY BEES:
Major
Vine maple occurs in the Pacific Northwest. It ranges from the Cascade Mountains to the coast and from southwestern British Columbia to northern California. In Washington and California, vine maple may extend down the east side of the Cascade Mountains along canyon bottoms and moist slopes but is confined almost entirely to the west side of the Cascades in Oregon.
This plant is present in at least 5 states/provinces in this country.
Vine maple is a long-lived, shade-tolerant, deciduous shrub or small tree which shows a high degree of variation in growth form. Stems may be erect or vertical, leaning, arched or convex with branch tips anchored by roots, or prostrate with the end of the stem turned upwards. When found in the open this maple often grows as a dense shrub or small tree with numerous erect stems. Under favorable conditions plants in these open habitats occasionally grow up to 30 feet (9.1 m) tall with 8- to 12-inch diameter (20-30 cm) trunks. Plants shaded by a coniferous overstory, however, commonly have prostrate stems that root where a stem touches the ground.
The bark of vine maple is thin, smooth, and bright reddish-brown.
The leaves are round to cordate, palmately seven- to nine-lobed, serrate, and 1.2 to 2.4 inches (3-6 cm) long. The fruit is a rose-colored double samara. The 0.5- to 1-inch-long (1.2-2.5 cm) wings are widely divergent in a nearly straight line.
Flowering normally occurs from April through June, when the leaves are about half grown. The fruits generally ripen in September or October, after which seed is dispersed through November. Before the leaves are shed in autumn, they turn various shades of yellow or red.
