red maple (Acer rubrum)
Family: Aceracae
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| Form:
This is a medium-sized tree reaching 50-70 ft in height and 2 ft. in dbh. It generally has a rounded crown. |
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Leaves: Shape: simple; 3-5 lobed Margin: serrate Texture: glabrous above and glaucous below |
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| Bark:
Very thin and light gray in color when young. It develops a scaly appearance with age. It normally peels from the top or bottom of each piece that is separating from the rest of the bark. |
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| Twigs and Buds:
Twigs have a lustrous brown appearance. They are also slender and are usually speckled with lenticels. |
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| Flowers and Fruit:
Samara fruits mature in the spring. |
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| Distinguishing Characteristics:
It has a serrated margin which is noticeably different from the smooth margin on sugar maple and it has shallow lobes, which distinguish it from the deep lobes of silver maple. |
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| Range:
It occurs throughout the eastern United States: north into Maine and Minnesota and south from Texas east all the way to the Atlantic coast. |
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| Silvics:
Red maple has intermediate tolerance to shade. It prefers moist bottoms, but seems to be invading drier upland sites as well. |
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| Ecological and Cultural Importance:
Red maple has become prolific in oak understories due to increasing mesic conditions and fire suppression. |
