540 NEW ENGLAND THEES IN WINTER. 



RED MAPLE 



Swamp, Soft or White Maple. 



Acer rubruni L. 



HABIT — A medium sized tree. 40-50 ft. higli. occasionaily in swamps 

 reaciiing To ft. in iieiglit. witli trunlc diameter of 2-4 ft; brancliing low 

 down and forming an oblong, ratlier compact head, frequently largest at 

 the top but sometimes broad at the base. Branches slender 

 as well as branchlets, the latter showing slight tendencj- to turn up at 

 tlieir tips; upper branches appearing decidedly gray and often resembling 

 those of the Beech it viewed with the light. 



BARK — Smooth, light gray on young trunks and branches; on older 

 trunks verj- dark gray, roughened into long ridges, sometimes some- 

 what shaggy and separating in long plates. (.See right hand bark 

 photographj. 



TAVIGS — Rather slender, bright or dark red, shining: odorless when 

 cut. LEN'TICELS — numerous, conspicuous. PITH — pinkish toward upper 

 part at least of each year's growth beyond the second. 



LE.\F-SC.\US — Broad, U to V-shaped, adjacent edges not meeting. 

 BUNDLE-SCABS— 3. 



DUDS — Bed, blunt-pointed, broadly oval-ovate to spherical In flower 

 buds, generally under 5 mm. long, short-stalked; flower buds numerous, 

 stout, collateral (one on either side of smaller axillary bud). BUD- 

 SCALES — 4 pairs or generally fewer visible witli pale hairs on margins, 

 outer pair of scales not over half covering the bud. 



FRt'IT — Small, generally under 3 cm. long, wings spreading. In lateral 

 clusters, ripening in spring and therefore difficult to find in winter. 



COMPARISOXS — The Red Maple closely resembles the Silver Maple 

 in the winter condition. See Silver JNIaple under Comparisons for 

 differences. The Red and the Silver Maple are distinguishable from our 

 other Maples except the Box Elder by presence of collateral buds, and 

 tlie numerous clusters of these flower buds gi\'e a cliaracteristic beaded 

 appearance to the twigs against the sky; froni the Striped and Mountain 

 Maples by the larger number of scales exposed in the bud; from the 

 Striped and the Norway and Sycamore Maples by much smaller buds; 

 from the Mountain Maple and the Box Elder by their smooth outer bud- 

 scales; from the Sugar Maple by their red twigs and by their red, blunt 

 buds with few scales. See under Sugar Maple. 



DISTRIBUTION — Borders of streams, in low lands, wet woods and 

 swamps or sometimes in dry ground, of rapid growth and a favorite 

 for park planting but usually not adapted to city streets. Nova Scotia 

 to the Lake of the Woods; south to southern Florida; "west to Dakota, 

 Nebraska and Texas. 



IN NEW ENGLAND — Common throughout from the sea to an altitude 

 of 3,000 ft. on Katahdln. 



IN CONNECTICUT— Common. 



M'OOD — Very heavy, close-grained, not strong, light brown often 

 sliglitb' tinged witli red, with thick, rather lighter colored sapwood; 

 used in large quantities In the manufacture of chairs and other furni- 

 ture, in turnery, for wooden-ware and gun-stocks. 



