Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum (AY-ser sac-KAR-um)

Family: Sapindaceae Native Canopy (>40 ft)

Northern sugar maple is a deciduous tree in the soapberry family (Sapindaceae) native to Eastern and central North America from Canada south through the Appalachian Mountains to Georgia and west to Minnesota to northeast Texas. In North Carolina, it is found in the mountains and sporadically in the Piedmont. Genus name is the Latin name for a maple tree. Specific epithet means sugary regarding the sweet sap. Northern sugar maple may reach 50 to 120 feet tall with a dense, spreading crown that provides heavy shade and grows slowly to medium, although it may grow faster in open areas. It grows best in moist, well-drained, slightly acidic, fertile soil in full sun but will tolerate average well-drained soils in sun to part shade. It is intolerant of compacted soil, high heat, air pollution, and road salt commonly found in urban environments. The leaves have 5 lobes and coarsely toothed edges and turn brilliant shades of red, orange or yellow in the fall. In spring drooping racemes of yellow flowers are followed by winged samaras clustered on long reddish stalks in summer. The tree can be tapped for syrup when it is about 40 years old. It takes about 32 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. It is the national tree of Canada and the leaf is featured on the flag. Northern sugar maple is best used as a shade tree in lawns or park-type settings. It is the only tree commercially used today for syrup production. Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. Aphids, borers, and scale may be present. Verticillium wilt, anthracnose, cankers, leaf spot, and tar spot can affect unhealthy trees. Leaf scorch may occur in drought conditions. Roots can crack sidewalks and clog drains and septic systems. Sensitive to heat, drought, salt, and soil compaction. 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. VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee. More information on Acer .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ Reconciled to full toolbox: matched by slug to slug 'acer-saccharum'. Identity (id/common/scientific name) preserved from the original 87-plant Hunnicutt set; attribute data refreshed from the 76-attribute toolbox scrape.