Scientific Name, Family: Acer Rubrum
Common Names: Red maple, soft maple, swamp maple
Native or invasive: Native
Deciduous or Evergreen: Deciduous
Image of the tree you are viewing, GPS coordinates: 45.00221N 92.90449W
Condition and age guess of the tree you are viewing: e.g.,Healthy, 5 years
Branch Structure: Various forms – oval, rounded, upright, columnar
Typical height and width at maturity: 65 ft. – 100 ft tall by 15-75 ft wide
Typical longevity: 80 – 200 years
Soil, water, sunlight preferences: Adaptable to most moist soils well drained, compacted soil. Full to part sun.
Growth habit of roots: Red maple roots are primarily horizontal and form in the upper 25 cm (10 in) of soil. After germination, a taproot develops until it is about 2 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) long, then it turns and grows horizontally. (USDA information)
Images of trunk bark at early stage and mature stage: Young bark is smooth and light gray. On old trunks, the bark is thick, dark gray and separated by vertical ridges into large, plate-like, scales.
Images of mature tree: winter and summer
Image of leaf or leaves on a 12 x 12 inch grid: The leaves are veined with 3 principal triangular lobes (sometimes 5 lobes with the two lower lobes being much smaller). Irregularly and coarsely toothed, medium to dark green above, grayish beneath with hairy veins, petiole 2-4″ long and reddish tone. In fall they turn a brilliant red, orange, and yellow colors
Image of leaf or leaves in fall colors: color
Flower Details: Flowers appear mid-March. Most Red Maples have dense clusters of either male flowers or female flowers (dioecious). Under certain conditions, a Red Maple tree can sometimes switch from male to female, male to both male and female (hermaphroditic), and hermaphroditic to female.
Typical Pollination Mechanism: Wind
Images of flowers Female (l), Male (r)
Images of fruit: Fruit is a pair of winged seeds (samara), 2/3 to 1 inch long that mature and shed in early summer. The wings form an angle between 45 and 90 degrees.
Value for wildlife:
Utility for Humans: Good shade tree, fast growing, hardy. The sap is a good source of maple syrup. Sap to finished syrup ratio 40 gallons of sap = 1 gallon of syrup. The wood of the Red Maple is not particularly desirable for lumber or veneer. Red Maple is known in the lumber industry as soft maple. The wood is close grained and resembles that of the Sugar Maple but is softer in texture. It was used in furniture, flooring, veneering, instruments. The red maple was used by various native American tribes to make spoons, handles, baskets, and bowls. Leaves of the Red Maple were frequently used in the Ojibwe bead work designs. Native Americans also used the sap to make sugar before bottles were available.
Traditional uses in Native American Tree Medicine (historical), Information provided by Paul Red Elk, Lakota Medicine Man: The sap of all the maple tree is a good source of antioxidants. It’s used for inflammation, coughs, and skin conditions. New studies revealed that red maple’s leaves abound with polyphenols, compounds known for their Including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Mature bark has astringent properties. It’s often used in healing wounds.
Links to related interesting information: audio file link
USDA description found at https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/acer/rubrum.