OF Ohio 



89 



SUGAR MAPLE 



Acer saccharum, Marshall 



THE Sugar Maple, also called Hard Maple and Pvock 

 Maple, is probably the best known American hard- 

 wood tree. It produces the delicious maple syrup and maple 

 sugar of commerce. 



The leaves are simple, opposite, 3 to 5 inches long, coarsely 

 toothed, dark green 

 above and pale below. 



The flowers are yel- 

 iowish-green, appear in 

 April and May with the 

 leaves. Both pollen- 

 bearing and seed-pro- 

 ducing occur in droop- 

 ing, s 1 e n d e r-stalked 

 clusters on the new 

 growth. 



The fruit is a two- 

 winged maple key. The 

 wings are about an inch 

 long and are almost 

 parallel to each other or 

 slightly divergent. 



The bark is grayish 

 to brownish black, 

 roughened with shallow 

 furrows. The twigs are 

 slender, smooth, red- 

 dish to orange brown, 

 marked with pale dots. 

 The buds are brown, 

 conical, sharp-pointed, 

 covered with 8 to 10 

 exposed scales. 



The wood is heavy, 

 hard, close-grained, light brown to reddish. It is an all- 

 purpose wood, being manufactured into not less than 500 

 articles of commerce. ,» . 



The Sugar Maple is found from Newfoundland to Mani- 

 toba, south to Florida and Texas. It occurs in every State 

 east of the Mississippi, but is rare in the South. It is gen- 

 erally distributed throughout Ohio, being abundant in the 

 Western Reserve. Under favorable conditions it reaches a 

 height of 100 feet and a diameter of 4 feet. As a timber 

 tree the Sugar Maple rates high in most of its range, as a 

 memorial tree it is among the best, and as an ornamental 

 and street tree it is in the front rank. 



SUGAR MAPLE 

 One-fourth natural size. 

 Twig one-half natural size ; single flowers, 

 enlarged 



