The Red Maple (Acer rubrum),
sometimes called Swamp or Soft Maple, is one of the most common
deciduous trees of eastern North America.
It's called "Red"
because its leaves are a brilliant scarlet in the fall, and
even its flowers, petioles, twigs and seeds are all somewhat
red.
Growing
conditions
Around Evanston,
the red maple adapts to a wide range of conditions, more than
almost any other tree in the region. It can grow in wet or very
dry soil, and is very tolerant of flooding and drought, and
more tolerant of pollution then the sugar maple. Its low root
system can be invasive and isn't a good choice for narrow spaces
between sidewalk and street.
Uses
Because of its beautiful fall colors and
attractive shape, it is often used as a shade tree in landscaping.
Also used for maple syrup production (tap
syrup before the buds emerge in the spring), not to mention
its generally high quality lumber.
Fun
Facts
State Tree of Rhode Island.
The leaves, especially when dead or wilted,
are highly toxic to horses. It attracts squirrels, who eat
its buds in the early spring, although squirrels prefer the
larger buds of the silver maple.
Size
Up to 90 feet tall,
18-30" in diameter.
Form & Shape
Its form and shape are varied,
especially its leaves.In forests, branches don't start until
higher up, but when grown in the open, the trees are shorter
and thicker with a more rounded crown. The crown is generally
irregularly ovoid with ascending whip-like curved shoots.
Bark
Pale
grey and smooth when the tree is young, becoming darker and
cracked into slightly raised long plates.
Leaves
The leaves of the
red maple are the easiest way to tell it apart from other maples.
As with all maples, the leaves are deciduous and arranged oppositely
on the twig, typically 2-4" long and wide with 3-5 palmate
lobes with a serrated margin. The upper side of the leaves are
light green and the underside is whitish, either glaucous or
hairy. The leaf stalks are usually red and up to 4" long.
The leaves turn a brilliant red in autumn.
Flowers
Unisexual or bisexual,
appearing in separate sessile clusters, and come out in the
spring from the leaves. They are red with 5 small petals and
a 5-lobed calyx borne in hanging clusters, usually at the twig
tips.
Fruit
Seed pods are ½ to ¾"
long, in a double samara with divergent wings borne on long
slender stems. Eaten by animals like squirrels and bugs.
