#DIFFERENT TYPES OF RED MAPLE TREES FULL#

#DIFFERENT TYPES OF RED MAPLE TREES FULL#

Sun: Plant in full sun with access to partial shade, preferably afternoon shade. Once the species of Maple Tree is chosen, visit The Tree Center to buy a well-loved Maple Tree. The Tree Center ensures proper and well-tended care in the early stages of the Maple Tree’s life, which with proper planting and care at home, results in stronger, healthier trees. Many of the fastest growing and most popular Maple Trees are cultivated asexually, through the use of grafts or branch planting. Consider the quick-facts below about Maple Trees before reading about the plants needs and benefits in depth in the following sections. Considering the needs of the plants and the effort on the part of the landscaper can be essential to tree success. Many Maple Trees are tolerant of harsh planting conditions, and some species, such as the Red Maple, are tolerant of mild pollution. Proper planning before purchasing any tree is necessary in order to ensure not only the best-suited tree to the planting location, but also so the tree can thrive. Regardless of the reason, Maple Trees grow well throughout the United States. Some homeowners choose to plant several Sugar Maple Trees in the hope of earning enough sap to create maple syrup, an expensive and increasingly rare delicacy of the Maple Trees. Due to these height discrepancies, some Maple Trees may be planted as ornamental accent trees while others may be planted for shade or lawn coverage. Maple Trees are often tall, measuring between 30 and 140 feet however, some landscapers do work with bonsai cultivars that may be much smaller, measuring as little as two feet. Many Maple Trees, such as the Norway Maple Tree, Red Maple Tree, and Silver Maple Tree, are popular for their moderate to fast growth rate, sometimes gaining as much as 5 feet a year. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-‐4901 USA.With over 120 different species of Maple Tree, there is one to suit the needs of American landscapers. To a botanist, anything that contains seeds is a fruit, but to others those may be just “spinners.” Remember, those are the fruits! Distribution Some people may not think of maple samaras as fruits, but they are the fruits of maple trees. Pollen release is easy to tell-look on the ground for yellow powder. Take field glasses (binoculars) out with you so you can see the flowers, which are beautiful dark red, with yellow stamens (sugar maple flowers are green). Tips on Observing Maples: The most challenging aspect of observing the maples is that the leaves and flowers can be high up in the tree. Bark on older trees is often broken into plates. Bisson, ME Sea Grantīark: Young red maples have smooth, light gray bark. These samaras disperse in spring before the leaves are fully developed (sugar maple samaras hang on until the fall). Red maple samaras are red, in contrast to those of sugar maple, which are green in spring. Bisson, ME Sea Grantįruit: Maple trees produce double samaras (winged seeds), but you may know them as “spinners” or “helicopters” due to their characteristic descent to the ground. It is the female flower that produces the fruit. In the female flower it is the stigma that extends past the petals, ready to catch pollen. Male flowers have long stamens that extend beyond the petal and are covered in yellow pollen at the tips.

Red Maples can produce all male flowers, all female flowers, or some of both. Two red maple trees may look different from each other during the flowering period. The leaf stalk and twigs also have a reddish color.įlowers: Small, hanging clusters of bright red flowers appear in spring before the leaves. Red maple leaves are green on the top and a light greenish white on the underside, and turn brilliant red in autumn. Red maple leaves are more toothed, while the lobes on sugar maples have smoother edges.

To distinguish them, look at the teeth on the leaf edges. It is easy to confuse red maple with sugar maple. Leaves: Maple trees have palmately lobed leaves, which means their leaves resemble the shape of a hand with five lobes that extend in a fingerlike fashion from a central point, similar to palm of your hand. However, it tends to bud and flower very early in the season, which has a negative effect on the sap, making the syrup season for the red maple very short. Red maple can be used for syrup production. It is wide ranging, and native throughout the eastern half of the United States. Red Maple is a deciduous tree that can be 50 to 60 feet tall at maturity. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. Red Maple (Acer rubrum) Fact Sheet USDA-‐NRCS PLANTS Database/Britton, N.L., and A.

Different types of red maple trees