PollyMapMaple pollen photographed through the microscope in the PollyKit lab — verified in Arizona.
About maple pollen
Very early spring tree pollen from maples and box elder.
Plants that produce it
- Box elder (Acer negundo), the most allergenic maple
- Silver, red and sugar maple in yards and forests
- Bigtooth and Rocky Mountain maple in canyons
How to recognize it
Oval grain with three long furrows and a striate surface of fine parallel ridges running between the furrows.
Typical published size: 25–40 µm
Commonly confused with
- Ash pollen — reticulate, not striate
- Oak pollen — granular, not ridged
Allergy relevance
Varies by species; box elder is strongly allergenic and releases early, while ornamental maples are milder.
Where it's found
PollyMap has verified specimens of Maple from Arizona.
Maples grow in nearly every state; box elder is widespread in the West and Plains.
Also searched as: maple pollen, acer pollen, box elder pollen, maple pollen allergy.
Related pollen specimens
Citing this specimen: PollyMap Specimen Library. “Maple — verified microscope specimen.” pollymap.com/library/specimen/maple-pollen-arizona-a5c166
Expert discussion
No published comments yet. If you study palynology or mycology, we'd value your read on this specimen.