Also known as scarlet maple, swamp maple, soft maple, Carolina red maple, Drummond red maple, and water maple, this deciduous tree is native to eastern and central North America. It is a member of the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, that also includes horse chestnut, buckeye, and lychee. The tree can grow up to 120′ tall but is usually shorter, and has smooth light gray bark when young that thickens, turns dark gray, and develops ridges and furrows with age. In early spring before the leaves emerge, drooping clusters of tiny red flowers appear. The flowers may be male or female and may be on the same or different trees depending on the growing conditions and variety. In addition, trees may change the kind of flowers they produce from year to year as conditions change. Pollinated female flowers produce V-shaped paired, winged fruits called a samaras that are 3/4″ long and are yellow, prink or red before turning turn tan or brown with maturity. They drop to the ground where they may be a litter problem. The leaves are 2-6″ long, palmately veined usually with 3 (sometimes 5) lobes, and have coarsely toothed margins. Carried on 2-4″ long red petioles, the leaves are medium to dark green above, grayish below, and turn red, orange, and yellow in fall. Trees with male flowers tend to have red leaves in the fall while trees with female flowers tend to have orange. Red maples are usually attractive trees but can be scraggly when growing conditions are poor. They are excellent shade trees although their roots may break pavement when used as a street tree. The flowers attract pollinators, the seeds provide food for birds and small mammals, and sprouts provide food for larger mammals. The genus name, Acer, is the Latin word for a maple tree. The specific epithet, rubrum, is the Latin word meaning red.
Type: Deciduous tree
Outstanding Feature: Fall color
Form: Pyramidal when young, rounded or oval with maturity
Growth Rate: Rapid
Bloom: Clusters of tiny red flowers in early spring
Size: 40-120′ H x 30-50′ W
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Average, medium moist to occasionally wet, well-drained, slightly acidic; tolerant of a wide variety of soils
Hardiness: Zones 2-9
Care: Low maintenance
Pests and Diseases: Aphids, leafhoppers, borers, scale, caterpillars, verticillium wilt, canker, fungal leaf spot, and root rots
Propagation: Seed, root cuttings, stem cuttings
Outstanding Selections: Many cultivars available. Those that are male are highly allergenic, while female cultivars have a low allergenic rating. Two outstanding cultivars selected for color are:
‘October Glory’
‘Red Sunset’
Photo Credit: Wikipedia