Is maple poisonous to humans and animals?

Is maple poisonous to humans and animals?

Maple - beautiful and harmless in the family garden

Maple is one of the first trees that children can name by name. It is the hand-shaped leaves, the unique autumn color and the winged fruits that make a maple tree distinctive. For generations, young and old have had great fun with the seeds, which sail through the air like small helicopters and let themselves be pinned on their noses.

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Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), Norway maple (Acer platanoides) and field maple (Acer campestre) are widespread in the wild. Decorative varieties emerged from the pure species, which are impressive in the garden, such as the popular Globosum ball maple or the dramatic Crimson King blood maple. There is no trace of poisoning for children and adults here.

These maples have been shown to be toxic to animals

In 2012 the first suspicions arose in the USA that maples contain a dangerous poison for animals. Scientists from the University of Minnesota have found that the native ash maple is the cause of a deadly disease that has killed countless horses and donkeys. In 2015 a German research group confirmed the suspicion that sycamore maple also contained the deadly poison.

The scientists at the Dutch Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Utrecht wanted to know exactly. The results confirmed the findings regarding sycamore and ash maple, but gave the all-clear for other maple species. The current state of knowledge can be summarized as follows:

  • Sycamore maple and ash maple: poisonous for horses and donkeys, possibly other animal species
  • Highest poison concentration in seeds and sprouts
  • Norway maple, field maple, split maple and other species: non-poisonous