Family Aceraceae – Maples
Sugar and black maples at the Morton Arboretum
Maples are some of our most beloved trees. They offer a great variety of form, size, and foliage; many display striking autumn color. Maples grow to 45 meters (145 ft), or occur as shrubs less than 10 meters tall. Most are deciduous, but a few in southern Asia and the Mediterranean region are evergreen. Most are shade-tolerant when young, and are often late-successional in ecology; many of the root systems are typically dense and fibrous. A few species produce root sprouts which can develop into clone colonies.
 Snakeskin Maple |
 State Street Miyabe Maple |
 Striped Maple |
 Autumn Blaze Freeman Maple |
Typical Maple Leaves
Maples are distinguished by opposite leaf arrangement. The leaves in most species are palmate veined and lobed, with 3 to 9 (rarely to 13) veins each leading to a lobe, one of which is central or apical. A small number of species differ in having palmate compound, pinnate compound, pinnate veined or unlobed leaves. [1]
 Sugar Maple |
 “Crimson King” |
 Coleman Sugar |
 White Tigress Maple |
 Red Maple |
Maples are important ornamentals for lawns, along streets, and in parks. They offer a great variety of form, size, and foliage; many display striking autumn color. The red maple (A. rubrum) is one of the most common trees in its native eastern North America, where it tolerates compacted wet soils and city pollution.
 Hornbeam Maple |
 Miyabe Maple |
 Paperbark Maple |
 Ivy-leaved Maple |
Box elder (A. negundo) grows quickly to 30 – 50 ft (9 -15 m) and resists drought, so early prairie settlers planted many for shade and for wood to make crates, furniture, paper pulp, and charcoal. The watery, sweet sap of the sugar maple is boiled down for maple syrup and sugar; the wood of certain maples is used for furniture.
Green Mountain Sugar Maple
Amur Maple – Acer ginnala Armstrong Freeman’s Maple – Acer x freemanii ‘Armstrong’
Autumn Blaze Maple – Acer x freemanii ‘Autumn Blaze’
Autumn Flame Red Maple – Acer rubrum ‘Autumn Flame’
Bearded Maple – Acer barbinerve
Bowhall Red Maple – Acer rubrum ‘Bowhall’
Coleman Sugar Maple – Acer saccharum ‘Coleman’
Deep-Veined Maple – Acer argutum
Durand Dwarf Amur Maple – Acer ginnala
Globe Norway Maple – Acer platanoides ‘Globosum’
Green Mountain Sugar Maple – Acer saccharum
Hornbeam Maple – Acer carpinifolium
Japanese Maple – Acer palmatum
Marmo Freeman’s Maple – Acer x freemanii ‘Marmo’
Norway Maple Tree – Acer platanoides “Crimson King”
Red Sunset Maple – Acer rubrum ‘Franksred’
Schlesinger Red Maple – Acer rubrum ‘Schlesingeri’
Shantung Maple – Acer truncatum
Snakeskin Maple – Acer grosseri
Striped Maple – Acer pensylvanicum
Tilford Red Maple – Acer rubrum ‘Tilford’
Trident Maple – Acer buergerianum
Tschonoski Maple – Acer tschonoskii
White Tigress Maple – Acer tegmentosum
Tree Encyclopedia / North American Insects & Spiders is dedicated to providing scientific and educational resources for our users through use of large images and macro photographs of flora and fauna.
