Acer saccharum 'Bonfire'

Bonfire Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum ‘Bonfire’ is a highly regarded sugar maple cultivar selected for its exceptional fall color, uniform growth habit, and improved performance in landscape settings. It offers the classic strength and longevity of sugar maple with enhanced ornamental appeal.

Spring foliage emerges bright green, maturing to deep green through summer and forming a dense, symmetrical canopy. In fall, ‘Bonfire’ lives up to its name with intense shades of fiery orange, red-orange, and scarlet, often more vivid and consistent than seed-grown sugar maples. Color development is reliable year to year, especially in cooler climates.

The habit is upright to broadly oval, producing a strong, well-branched large shade tree. ‘Bonfire’ performs best in full sun to partial shade and prefers well-drained, slightly acidic soils. Like other sugar maples, it does not tolerate compacted soils or heavy urban stress but excels in parks, lawns, and institutional plantings.

 




Hardiness



USDA Zones: 4–8



Best Uses


Large shade tree for lawns and parks



Fall color focal point



Campuses and institutional landscapes



Native and woodland-style plantings



Long-term landscape installations

Plant type

Deciduous Tree, Shade Tree, Street Tree

Height

55'

Width

35'

Hardiness zones

4–8

Sunlight

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Growth rate

Fast

Bloom time

Spring

Leaf color

Green

Fall color

Salmon

Attracts

Bees

Soil

Acidic, Loamy, Well Drained

Landscape use

Provide Shade, Specimen

Shape

Broad Upright

Bark

Fissured

Fruit

Yes

Deer resistant

Yes

Drought tolerant

No

10-year height

10'

10-year width

15'