The field maple is the only maple tree which is native to Britain but, despite this, it is a lot less common in central London than the Norway maple and the sycamore. The reason for this has got nothing to do with the field maple being susceptible to city grime and pollution, because this is not the case; it is a robust tree. It is most probably down to the fact that those other two trees look better.

              The leaves of the field maple are quite similar to those of the sycamore, except that they are more rounded at the angles. The biggest differences between the two trees are that the bark of the field maple is smoother and is nuts (samaras) are at a 180 degree angle, more like the Norway maple (see tree identification section); those of the sycamore are more acute.