Black Maple is a large deciduous tree in the maple family (Sapindaceae) native to Eastern and Central USA and can be found in the mountains of NC. The species epithet, nigrum, is Latin for "black." It typically grows 60 to 80 feet tall with a rounded crown. It differs from sugar maple (A. saccharum ) by having darker bark, leafy stipules at the base of leaf stems and leaves that are 3-lobed and a darker green. The fall color is in attractive shades of red, orange and yellow. The tree can be tapped to make maple syrup. Black Maple can be grown in well-drained, moist, average soil in full sun to partial shade. Use as a large shade tree, street tree or in parks. It is a host plant for the larvae of both the Imperial ( Eacles imperialis ) and Gypsy ( Lymantria dispar ) moths. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems. See potential disease and insect problem fact sheets to the left. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common maple diseases and insect pests. More information on Acer .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Canopy layer
2 - Understory
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green; Orange; Red/Burgundy
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Cordate; Orbicular
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaf feel
Leathery
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
3 to 6 in. opposite, simple leaves with 3-5 palmate lobes and an orbicular outline. Leaves are drooping, and leathery. Fall color is in reds, oranges and yellows.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Flower form
Umbel
Flower size
3-6 inches
Flower detail
Male flowers are yellow-green in 2-4 inch long drooping umbels. Female flowers are similar but umbels are shorter.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit type
Samara
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Clusters of paired samaras (to 1” long) that mature in late summer.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray; Light Brown
Bark detail
The trunk bark is grayish-brown or grayish black, becoming rougher and irregularly furrowed with age.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Branch bark is gray and more smooth, while twigs are various shades of gray or brown, glabrous, and covered with scattered white lenticels. Buds are reddish-brown with some green and with fine hair. Terminal buds are multiple
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern and central USA
Wildlife value
Members of the genus Acer support Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. Provides shelter, nesting sites and birds will eat the seeds. Many insects feed off parts of the tree.
Attracts
Moths; Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Samara
Uses (ethnobotany)
Wood used in construction and making furniture.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn; Naturalized Area
Landscape theme
Nighttime Garden; Pollinator Garden; Shade Garden
Design feature
Shade Tree; Street Tree
Garden tags
#deciduous #imperial moth #larval host plant #nighttime garden #full sun tolerant #native tree #fall interest #deciduous tree #pollinator plant #wildlife friendly #street tree #bird friendly #shade tree #squirrel friendly #NC native #moth caterpillar host #illustration