Hot Wings® Tatarian Maple

Basic Landscape Attributes

Height Range:

20-25 ft. height

Fall Colors:

Medium green foliage, Showy red samaras in summer, Yellow to red in fall

Width Range:

20-25 ft. spread

Flower Type:

White flower clusters

Shape:

Rounded, spreading shape

History of
the Tree Species

Species named after the Tatar peoples of southern Russia; commonly misspelled as "Tartar" or "Tartarian" in English
Small ornamental tree was discovered in Colorado, but species' natural range is from Southeastern Europe to Western Asia
Assumed to have arrived in North America in the early 20th century as the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted global exploration
Local Colorado nurserymen discovered this particular maple was more tolerant of the state's alkaline soils than other cold-hardy maples
Hot Wings® was a chance-seedling growing in Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery in 1993
It stood out with its scarlet samaras that appeared for six weeks every summer

The sap can be turned into a drink or concentrated into a syrup/sweetener via boiling
Sap contains a lower concentration of sugar than sugar maples (A. saccharum)
Best sap production occurs in cold-winter areas with continental climates
Bark is astringent and slightly anticholesterolemic -- decoction has been used to bathe sore eyes
Seeds can be cooked and eaten

Location on tree on Shelby Ave: