Handbook of Trees of the Northern States and Canada. 335 



The Red Maple sometimes attains the height 

 «f 100 ft. or more, when growing in the forest, 

 with a trunk 3 or 4 ft. in diameter, and when 

 growing away from the inlhionee of other trees 

 develops an oval or rounded top. It inhabits 

 chicliy bottom-lands and the banks of streams 

 and swamps in company in tlie north with tlie 

 Black and Red Ash, Arbor Vitaj, Hornbeam, 

 Tamarack, etc., and in places forms almost ex- 

 clusive forests. It is one of the first trees to 

 show its autumnal colors of brilliant scarlet 

 nnd is then a very conspicuous and beautiful 

 object. The swelling of its buds in late winter 

 is one of the first evidences of approaching 

 spring, and its early flowers open and ofTor 

 their abundant nectar as early as it is warm 

 enough for the bees to visit them. Even before 

 the leaves appear in southern regions the tree 

 is gorgeous with its crimson full-grown sa- 

 maras, though in northern regions they do 

 not attain full size until after the leaves ap- 

 pear. 



The wood is extensively used in manufacture 

 of furniture, a on. ft. when absolutely dry 

 weighing 38.50 lbs., and a considerable portion 

 of the Curly Maple of commerce comes from 

 this tree.i ^laple sugar is also made from its 

 sap though as the sap is not as sweet as that 

 of the Sugar Maple it requires more to make 

 a pound of sugar. 



Leaves 2-6 in. Ions. .'Vfi-loljcd, with sliallow acuto 

 .<!iniisps and irrt'fjiilarly doubly serrate acute or 

 acurainato lobes, truncate or sulicordate at base, 

 pubescent at first, at maturity slal)rous green 

 above, whitish and mostly f^labrous beneath, bright 

 scarlet in autumn : petioles slt>nder. FJotrrrs in 

 earliest spring before tlie leaves, scarlet or yellow- 

 tinted, in lateral fascicles ; i)etals oblong-linear : 

 ovary glabrous. Fruit on drooping pedicels 2-4 

 in. long, divergent, glabrous, nearly 1 in. long. 



Var. triden.i Wood- is a form in coast region 

 from N. .T. to Fla. and Tex., having leaves mostly 

 smaller, more obovate, narrow and cuneate or 

 rounded at base, ."^-lobed (or lateral lobes some- 

 t-mes suppressed) darlt green above, much lighter 

 and glaucous beneath, thicltish ; fruit smaller, 

 sometimes yellowish. 



1. A. W., Ill, 53. 



2. Syn. ,-1. Varaliniaiiinii Walt. 



