ACERACEAE 
Black Maple. Black Sugar Maple 
Acer saccharum nigrum (Michx. f.) Britt. 
[Acer nigrum Michx.] 
HABIT.—A stately tree, sometimes reaching a height of 80 
feet, with a trunk diameter of 2-3 feet; branches stout, forming 
a broad, rounded, symmetrical crown. 
LEAVES.—Opposite, simple, concave, 5-7 inches across, the 
breadth usually exceeding the length; usually 5-lobed at maturity, 
the two lower lobes being small, often reduced to a mere curve 
in the outline, the pointed lobes undulate or entire and narrowed 
from the broad, shallow sinuses; thick and firm; glabrous above, 
downy beneath; petioles stout, usually pendent, tomentose. The 
sides of the larger leaves often droop giving to the tree an air 
of depression. 
FLOWERS.—May, with the leaves; monoecious; in nearly 
sessile, umbel-like corymbs; about 14 inch long, yellow, on 
slender, hairy pedicels 2-3 inches long; calyx campanulate, pilose, 
5-lobed; corolla 0; stamens 7-8; ovary hairy. 
FRUIT.—Ripens in autumn; glabrous, paired samaras, clus- 
tered on drooping pedicels; wings set wide apart, but only 
slightly diverging. 
WINTER-BUDS.—Small, ovoid, acute, with dark red- 
brown, acute scales, hoary-pubescent on the outer surface. 
BARK.—Twigs smooth, pale gray; becoming thick, deeply 
furrowed and sometimes almost black on the trunk. 
WOOD.—Hard, heavy, strong, close-grained, creamy white, 
with thin, lighter colored sapwood. 
‘DISTRIBUTION.—Lower Peninsula, south-eastern portion. 
HABITAT.—Prefers low, moist, rich soil of river-bottoms, 
but does well on gravelly soils and uplands. 
NOTES.—Very variable. A very good shade tree because 
of its dense foliage. It is claimed by some that the finest grades 
of maple sugar are made from the sap of this tree. 
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