The Trees of Texas 135 



1. Acer saccharum Marshall. Sugar Maple. Hard Maple. 

 A large round topped tree 100-120 high with brown scaly 

 hark, reddish brown twigs, and sugary sap. Leaves usually 

 3-lobed, sometimes with 5 lobes, 3'-6' broad, long stalked, 

 rather thin, dark green above, paler and smooth below. Flow- 

 ers greenish yellow, the staminate and pistillate usually in 

 separate clusters on the same or different trees. Fruit ripen- 

 ing in the late summer or autumn, wings parallel or somewhat 

 divergent. 



On uplands New Foundland to Georgia, west to Manitoba, 

 Nebraska and Texas. 



The maple sugar and sirup which are staple articles of 

 commerce are made from the sap of this tree. The wood is 

 very valuable, being used for flooring, finishing, and cabinet 

 work. 



2. Acer Floridanum (Chapman) Fox. Florida Sugar 

 Maple. A medium sized, round topped tree with rough, 

 chalky-white bark and light reddish brown twigs. Leaves 

 rounded, 3-5 lobed, the notches between the lobes rounded, 

 bark green and smooth above, hairy along the veins below. 

 Flowers similar to Acer saccharum. Fruit a greenish 2-wingecH 

 samara, the wings divergent. In lowland, Georgia, Florida, 

 Louisiana and Texas. 



3. Acer grandidentatum Nuttall. Mountain Sugar Maple. 

 A small tree 30-40 with scaly, brown bark and reddish 

 branches Leave j 3-lobed, the lobes with large coarse teeth, 

 notches between the lobes broad and shallow. Flowers sim- 

 ilar to Acer saccharum. Fruit -a two winged, green samara, 

 th< win<r.s spread "ng or erect. 



Along mountain streams, Montana, Utah, Arizona, ,New 

 Mexico, Texas and northern Mexico. 

 The wood is hard and close grained. 



4. Acer saccharinum L. Silver Maple. Soft Maple. A 

 large forest tree 100 high with short trunk and large upright 

 branches. Bark on old stems scaly, brown ; on young stems 

 and branches, smooth light gray. Twigs reddish, curved up- 

 ward at the end. Leaves deeply five lobed, the lobes sharp 

 pointed and toothed, smooth and dark green above, pale 

 silvery and smooth below. Flowers greenish in the axils of 



