Acer campestre 'William Caldwell'


The Field Maple cultivar Acer campestre 'William Caldwell' was cloned from a seedling discovered at Caldwell's Ollerton Nursery near Knutsford, England, on 16 September 1976 by Donovan Caldwell Leaman, Director of the Caldwell's Nurseries that closed on 31 January 1992, after 212 years in Knutsford. The tree was released to commerce in 1984.

Description

The tree is noted for its fastigiate shape, and foliage which turns orange or red in autumn where planted on acid soils, not yellow as with the species.

Cultivation

'William Caldwell' is now listed in several Dutch Nurseries and was introduced in 2012 to the United States by the United States Department of Agriculture to their National Arboretum in Washington DC. Having cleared the Quarantine Laboratory, the Caldwell Maple is now being grown by Schmidts' Nurseries in Oregon where its remarkable clean growth when compared to their other Field Maples is cause for celebration.

Etymology

The cultivar is named for William Caldwell, the VIth. The cultivar was originally known as 'King Canute' until 1983; King Canute seated on his throne was the emblem and trademark of Caldwell & Sons Ltd Nurseries, Knutsford.
The National Tree Register of Britain and Ireland now have Acer campestre William Caldwell on their list of Champion Trees with several specimens over 40 feet.

Accessions

Europe