A blooming sugar maple is one of the most conspicuous trees in the landscape, except that it's not obvious that the trees are actually flowering. Older branches and the trunk develop hard, ridged bark. Less reliable is Black Maple typically having 1 to 6 points per side of a leaf and Sugar Maple typically with 5 to 11 points per side. #122141802 - Male flowers on branch ash-leaved maple, Acer negundo, macro.. 3rd photo - A cluster of female flowers on their hairy stalks. Help support this site ~ Information for sponsor opportunities. Usually only one of the fruits is viable, but they germinate easily in the spring. Names: The genus, Acer, is the Latin word for 'maple'. It can be a dominant canopy tree. sugar maple flowers Neem, Karela and Jamun juice – this Ayurvedic juice is known to be beneficial for people with Diabetes. Eight species of Maple are found in the wild in Minnesota: A. negundo, Box Elder; A. nigrum, Black Maple; A rubrum, Red Maple; A. saccharinum, Silver Maple; A. saccharum, Sugar Maple; A. spicatum, Mountain Maple; A. ginnala, Amur Maple and A. platanoides, Norway Maple. See the glossary for icon descriptions. Sugar maple is relatively deep-rooted, with many extensively-branched laterals [30,36]. To incorporate your favorite flowers into a syrup, all you need is some water, sugar, a handful of vibrant petals and a few minutes to extract their wild essence. Below: 2nd photo - Bark is light gray to dark gray on old trunks becoming rough and deeply furrowed into narrow scaly ridges that have flat irregular surfaces. Bedsteads are made of it, and portable writing desks, which are elegant and highly prized. Sugar Maple rates 1450 on the Janka hardness scale vs 950 for Red Maple, making Sugar Maple a harder wood than Red Oak. "www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org", "This wood exhibits two accidental forms in the arrangement of the fibre, of which cabinet-makers take advantage for obtaining beautiful articles of furniture. Although the seeds are plentiful, squirrels and other seed eaters avoid them. It is a member of the Soapberry Family. Too often however it is placed into too compacted or sandy sites where it does not fair well. The name "white maple" refers to the color of the younger wood. The big trees are in the east. #5) that the Minnesota Chippewa made paddles for stirring maple syrup from the wood. Pests include borers and cottony maple scale. This floral arrangement is perfect for a coffee table or small dining table. It is native to United States, North America, and eastern north america. This 40- to 80-foot tall species grows in USDA zones 3 to 8, notes Missouri Botanical Garden. Your email address: (required) All these parts are light yellow-green, presenting a very bright display that stands out, but with little apparent detail, so might be mistaken for leaf-out, … The native but less familiar (due to its limited southeastern range) Black Maple (A. nigrum) is the most similar, especially with similar variations in leaf shape, but can be distinguished by consistent fine, erect hairs across the entire lower surface that give it a velvety feel, and also the presence of distinctive stipules at the base of the leaf stalk. The leaves are also similar to Norway Maple, A. platanoides, but there the leaves are larger, the tree has milky sap and the samaras have a much greater angle where they are paired. Large trees can yield up to 60 gallons of sap and it takes 32 gallons to make one gallon of maple syrup. The stalks are hairy, the calyx is 5-lobed and without petals, the male stamens extend just beyond the calyx, the females with two stigmas extending below the calyx. Return to -- Site Plan/Archive Index --or-- List of Common Plant Names -- or -- List of Scientific Names -- or --Home Page - - - Back to top. Its preferred habitat is rich, moist woodland soils were its saplings can exist for many years in the dark, shady understory until a large canopy tree over head gives way, releasing them to grow into its place. It grows from a branched root system some of which are deep but like most maples has a number of relatively shallow components. The hard maple is certainly our finest deciduous tree. In regards the curly and bird's-eye effect, Botanist Francois Michaux (son of Andre) wrote in his North American Sylva of 1817-19 (Ref. The Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is a large, slow-growing, deciduous tree which flourishes in well-drained soil in the Adirondack Mountains. The sugar maple "flowers" in the summer, although you wouldn't recognize the flowers. She added another in Oct. 1917 and in 1919, same source. Its preferred habitat is rich, moist woodland soils were its saplings can exist for many years in the dark, shady understory until a large canopy tree over head gives way, releasing them to grow into its place. The more numerous the spots, the more beautiful and the more esteemed is the wood: This variety is called Bird's-eye Maple. Something we observed with Sugar Maple is a spot of purplish red at the base of leaf stalks in spring, seen on many trees in various locations, but a trait not mentioned in any reference. When grown in the open it forms a compact dome-like head, which affords refreshing shade from summer’s heat. The fall color can range from yellow to red (see below - the leaves are from the same tree, different years.). Funding provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. The stalk is hairless or with a few sparse hairs at the base, and is about the same length as the blade. Add to Likebox ... #132515482 - A Sugar Maple Tree Farm forest in autumn with brilliant yellow.. Individuals can grow to 35 m. Sugar Maple has unisexual flowers. When grown in the open it forms a compact dome-like head, which affords refreshing shade from summer’s heat. Text and photos are by G. D. Bebeau unless otherwise credited. It was previously thought that the flowers required insects for pollination, but new research has shown that viable seeds are produced even when insects are not present. One in Giles County VA measures 72 feet high, 84 foot crown spread, 270 inches in circumference and scores 363 points. Flowers are wind pollinated. Fall color is yellow, orange to red and will vary from year to year. Web design and content copyright © 2006-2020 MinnesotaWildflowers.info. #26d): "This wood exhibits two accidental forms in the arrangement of the fibre, of which cabinet-makers take advantage for obtaining beautiful articles of furniture. Curious thing. Nine Lives Cat Coaster. The two largest in Minnesota are both in Hennepin County. sugar maple The mighty sugar maple boasts some of the most vivid fall colors of our entire NE flora, serving as a host plant for numerous insects as well as being the source for maple syrup. Fruit matures from late August into October. One year old twigs are smooth and brown to gray. These mature in late summer, drop from the tree and are wind dispersed. The wood outside of the core of the tree is whitish and sold as "white hard maple". Sugar maple is an emblematic and common tree of the New England landscape, widely planted along roadsides and sugar bushes in order to harvest its maple syrup. See Reference List for details. The sides of the terminal lobe are almost parallel. Twigs are a shiny, reddish-brown . Drooping clusters at branch tips appearing about the same time as leaves emerge. Note divided style. Flower syrups can be used to add a hint of floral flavor to everything from cocktails to desserts. Bark is variable, brownish on younger trees and light gray to dark gray on old trunks becoming rough and deeply furrowed into narrow scaly ridges that have flat irregular surfaces. The Sugar Maple is one of about twenty species in the genius Acer which occur in North America. Leaves are opposite, about as long as wide - 3-1/2 to 5 inches - on long stalks that are usually smooth. Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple) is a species of tree in the family Sapindaceae. The pairing angle is 60 to 90º. Our Maple Sugar flower arrangement is just as sweet as its namesake. Susceptible to leaf scorch, verticillium wilt, tar spot and anthracnose. Sugar maple is in bloom, shaking its anthers in the breeze. Both flower sexes appear with the leaves and can be together in the same cluster when the tree is monoecious. Uses: Sugar Maple is a tough, hard, heavy and strong wood, used for furniture, flooring, panels, veneer, tool handles and other wooden ware requiring a hard wood. Sugar maple is long-lived and plants can survive for 300 to 400 years . This tree will prove an ornament of stately beauty for the street or lawn, and a beneficent testimonial to the wisdom of the planter, calling forth the gratitude of countless passersby, long after he is dust. The female flowers (pistillate) are also in drooping clusters, but shorter, 1 to 2 inches long. Identification booklet for most of the flowering forbs and small flowering shrubs of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. It can tolerate shade for many years in the understory but will be an odd shape and not produce much seed or sap. The widely urban planted and now increasingly naturalized Norway Maple (A. platanoides) has larger, open clusters of yellow flowers, larger, less deeply lobed leaves with seven central veins radiating from the base, plus the leaf stalk and veins exude a milky sap when broken. Sadly disappointing, as we have enjoyed the shade and fall foliage as the tree has grown to approx 25-30 feet, thus far. ". 3rd photo - Twigs are slender, shiny, brown to reddish-brown, with lighter lenticels. ", "The hard or Sugar Maple becomes conspicuous by reason of its drooping sprays of cream colored flowers, swaying on threadlike stems. For info on subjects other than plant identification (gardening, invasive species control, edible plants, etc. An email address is required, but will not be posted—it will only be used for information exchange between the 2 of us (if needed) and will never be given to a 3rd party without your express permission. Sugar Maple is the quintessential North American maple known for its hard premium wood, gorgeous fall color, and maple syrup, even decorating the national flag of our Canadian neighbors.