Maple Tree Family Identification

Maple Tree FamilyIdentification

Horticulture I CPMr. Traeger

Red MapleAcer rubrum

Red Maple

• Height 59’ to 89’.• Crown spread 39’.• Largest living Red

Maple, located near Armada, Michigan, 125 ft., trunk diameter 16.2 ft.

• Planted for brilliant red fall foliage.

Canadian Flag

Sugar MapleAcer saccharum

Sugar MapleAcer saccharum

• Height: 82’ to 112’• Tallest recorded at 148’.• Shade tolerant tree.• 5 Lobed Leaf.• Planted for brilliant yellow

and orange colors in the fall.• Trees important for maple

syrup, bowling pins, bowling alley floors & NBA floors.

• Important to the maple syrup industry.

Norway MapleAcer platanoides

Norway MapleAcer platanoides

• Height: 66’ to 98’ tall• Diameter: up to 4’ 11’’• 5 lobed leaf• Planted in cities, parks and

yards to replace Sugar Maples.

• More tolerant of pollution.

• Found through out the United States.

Silver MapleAcer saccharinum

Silver MapleAcer saccharinum

• Height: 50’ to 80’ rare tree may reach 115’

• Crown Spread: 35’ to 50’• Grows best near water.• Freeman Maple: Silver Maple

can hybridize with Red Maple.• Produces a sweet sap, but not

used commercially because of low sugar content.

Freeman Maple Leaf Acer x freemannii

Box ElderAcer negundo

Box ElderAcer negundo

• Height: 33’ to 82’• Diameter: 12” to 20”• Fast growing, short

lived tree.• Prefers bright sunlight.• Grows in hedges.

Striped MapleAcer pensylvanicum

Striped MapleAcer pensylvanicum

• Height: 15’ to 30’• Diameter: 10”• Young bark striped green

and white.• Grown for its ornamental

bark.• Sap causes a mild form of

dermatitis milder than Poison Ivy.

• Leaves once used as toilet paper by woodsman.

Bigtooth MapleAcer grandidentatum

Bigtooth MapleAcer grandidentatum

• Height: 30’ to 48’• Diameter: 9” to 20”• Ornamental Tree for its

drought tolerance & ability to grow in rocky landscapes.

• Closely related to the sugar maple.

• Other names: Canyon Maple and Lost Maple.

Japanese MapleAcer palmatum

Japanese MapleAcer palmatum

• Height: 20’ to 30’, rarely up to 52’.

• Named for the palm shaped leaves.

• Ornamental: used for borders, paths or focal points.

• Grown in a tree or shrub form.

• Cultivars with different leaf shapes, sizes and colors.

Japanese MapleAcer palmatum

112+ year old Japanese Maple Bonsai, Brooklyn Botanic Garden.