Field maple
Field maple
HawthornAndrew Skotnicki, CC BY 4.0
Hawthorn
Lookalikes

Field maple or hawthorn?

Both are hedgerow shrubs with lobed leaves.

The quickest check

The quickest check is where the leaves join the shoot. Field maple: in facing pairs along the shoot. Hawthorn: one at a time along the shoot. No leaves on the tree? Check the bare shoot.

At a glance

Look atField mapleHawthorn
Where the leaves join the shootIn facing pairs along the shootOne at a time along the shoot
Bare shootBuds in facing pairs, often corky ridgesSharp thorns 1 to 2 cm, a bud beside each
Fruit in autumnPaired keys, wings almost in a straight lineSmall dark red haws, one pip each

Three ways to tell them apart

Where the leaves join the shootLeaves
Field mapleIn facing pairs along the shoot
HawthornOne at a time along the shoot
Bare shootTwigs and buds
Field maple: bare shootDavid Sandler, CC BY 4.0
Field mapleBuds in facing pairs, often corky ridges
Hawthorn: bare shootShawn O'Donnell, CC BY 4.0
HawthornSharp thorns 1 to 2 cm, a bud beside each
Fruit in autumnKeys
Field maple: fruit in autumn
Field maplePaired keys, wings almost in a straight line
Hawthorn: fruit in autumnHenry Miller, CC BY 4.0
HawthornSmall dark red haws, one pip each
Think you can tell them apart now? Try the tree quiz: real photographs, and what gives each tree away.Take the quiz

The two trees

Field maple

Acer campestre

Field maple is a dense, domed tree, or a clipped shrub in hedges. Its small leaves have rounded lobes, and its paired keys spread almost in a straight line.

How to identify field maple →

Hawthorn

Crataegus monogyna

Hawthorn is a dense, thorny shrub or small tree with little, deeply lobed leaves. It is white with blossom from early May and red with haws in autumn.

How to identify hawthorn →

Their other lookalikes

Field mapleSycamoreField maple or sycamore?Quickest check: the lobes and their teethField mapleSpindleField maple or spindle?Quickest check: the outline of a leafField mapleLondon planeField maple or London plane?Quickest check: the leaf and how it sitsHawthornAppleHawthorn or apple?Quickest check: the outlineHawthornBlackthornHawthorn or blackthorn?Quickest check: the flowers and leaves, and whenHawthornCommon whitebeamHawthorn or common whitebeam?Quickest check: the outlineHawthornCrab appleHawthorn or crab apple?Quickest check: the outline of a leafHawthornMidland hawthornHawthorn or Midland hawthorn?Quickest check: the depth of the lobesHawthornRowanHawthorn or rowan?Quickest check: the whole leafHawthornPearHawthorn or pear?Quickest check: the outline of a leaf
In the app

See them side by side in Treely

  • Both trees, part by partLeaves, bark, buds, flowers and fruit, photographed through the year
  • Every lookalike side by sideThe checks that settle it, for every pair people mix up
  • A short round each dayUntil you can tell them apart at a glance
  • The full GuideBoth trees written up in full, with where to find them
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Every fact on this page is checked against the Collins Tree Guide, last in November 2026. Spotted something that looks wrong in front of a real tree? Tell us. How we check.

Photographs: ubovich (CC0), Andrew Skotnicki (CC BY 4.0), David Sandler (CC BY 4.0), Shawn O'Donnell (CC BY 4.0), Leon Cross (CC BY 4.0), Henry Miller (CC BY 4.0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.