ACERACEAE 

 Red Maple. Soft Maple 



Acer rubrum L. 



HABIT. A medium-sized tree 40-50 feet high, occasionally 

 in swamps 60-75 feet; trunk 1-3 feet in diameter; upright 

 branches, which form a low, rather narrow, rounded crown. 



LEAVES. Opposite, simple, 3-4 inches long and nearly as 

 broad; 3-5-lot>ed by broad, acute sinuses, the lobes irregularly 

 doubly serrate or toothed; glabrous, green above, whitish and 

 generally glabrous beneath, turning bright scarlet in autumn; 

 petioles long, slender. 



FLOWERS. March-April, before the leaves; polygamo- 

 monoecious or dioecious ; in few-flowered fascicles on shoots of 

 the previous year, the pistillate red, the staminate orange ; sepals 

 4-5; petals 4-5; stamens 5-8; ovary smooth. 



FRUIT. May- June, germinating immediately after reach- 

 ing the ground; samaras small, on drooping pedicels 2-4 inches 

 long; wings about i inch long, diverging at about a right angle. 



WINTER-BUDS. Dark red, blunt; terminal bud about 

 Ml inch long, with bud-scales rounded at the apex; flower-buds 

 clustered on side spurs. 



BARK. Twigs bright red, lustrous, becoming smooth and 

 light gray on the branches ; old trunks dark gray, ridged, separat- 

 ing into plate-like scales. 



WOOD. Heavy, close-grained, not strong, light brown, 

 with thick, lighter colored sapwood. 



DISTRIBUTION. Throughout the entire state. 



HABITAT. Prefers swamp-lands or banks of streams; 

 rarely found on hillsides. 



NOTES. A valuable shade and ornamental tree. Sugar 

 has been made in small quantities from the sap. 

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