Acer Saccharum, Sugar Maple Tree, Shrub, and Vine Identification Fact Sheet

This is the tree, shrub, and vine identification project fact sheet for Acer saccharum, Sugar Maple. This fact sheet may not be copied in part or in whole and submitted as one's own project, but may be cited as a source of facts during one's own research. See tree, shrub, and vine identification project main page for links to other plants, and deciduous tree slideshow for pictures.

Plant Botanical Name: Acer saccharum

Common Name: Sugar Maple

Family Name: Aceraceae

Plant is Native to What Country: Northeast US and Canada

Plant Height at Maturity: 80-100 feet tall, 60-80 feet wide.

Plant Habit and Form: Deciduous trees with rounded habit at maturity. Overall texture is medium, foliage is dense, and trees in the open often have dense branching. Buds are pointed resembling a football.

Foliage: Leaves opposite, 5 lobed, 3-6 inches long. Leaves are medium green in summer, turning colors in fall. Leaves shaded turn yellow, with the leaves exposed to the sun turning red, pink, and orange.

Bark: Bark gray and smooth on young stems, becoming furrowed/plated on mature wood. On old trunks, the bark is often brown in color and plated.

Flower: Flowers monoecious, yellow-green, blooming before leaves grow in April.

Fruit/Seed: Fruit samaras, two to a stem measuring 1-1.5 inches each. Samaras usually form a horseshoe shape.

Growing Requirements: Sugar maple tolerates shade but develops fully in full sun. Sugar Maple prefers soils that are moist yet well drained and is not tolerant of heat. Trees do not like road salt and pollution.

Problems and Drawbacks: Sugar maple is susceptible to heat scorch and perform poorly in urban areas or in areas exposed to road salt. Trees are large and are not suited for growing under power lines or in small areas. Dense shade makes growing turf difficult.

Special Uses: Sugar maple is an excellent shade tree for large areas. The tree is valued especially for its fall foliage. Commercial uses include timber and the Maple Syrup industry.

ID Tips/Remarks: The two basal lobes on the leaves are smaller then the rest.

Bibliography: http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/a/aceacc/aceacc1.html, http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/acesac/all.html.