of New York 



105 



SUGAR MAPLE 



Acer saccharum, Marsh 



THE Sugar Maple, also called Hard Maple and Rock 

 Maple, is probably the best known American hardwood 

 tree. 



The leaves are simple, opposite, 3 to 5 inches long, coarse- 

 ly-toothed, dark-green above and pale below. 

 The flowers are yellow- 

 ish - green, appear in 

 April and May with the 

 leaves. Both pollen- 

 bearing and seed-pro- 

 ducing occur in droop- 

 i n g, slender - stalked 

 clusters on the new 

 growth. 



The fruit is a two- 

 winged maple key. The 

 wings are about an inch 

 long and are almost par- 

 allel to each other or 

 slightly divergent. 



The bark is grayish 

 to brownish - black, 

 roughened with shallow 

 furrows. The twigs are 

 slender, smooth, reddish 

 to orange -brown, 

 marked with pale dots. 

 The buds are brown, 

 conical, sharp - pointed, 

 covered with 8 to 10 

 exposed scales. 



The wood is heavy, 

 hard, close-grained, 

 light-brown to reddish, 

 manufactured into not less than 500 articles of commerce. 



The Sugar Maple is found from Newfoundland to Mani- 

 toba, south to Florida and Texas. It occurs in every state 

 east of the Mississippi, but is rare in the South. This tree 

 is common throughout New York, except on southern Long 

 Island. Under favorable conditions it reaches a height of 

 100 feet and a diameter of 4 feet. As a timber tree the 

 Sugar Maple has no superiors, as a memorial tree it is among 

 the best, and as an ornamental and street tree it is in the front 

 rank. 



SUGAR MAPLE 

 One-fourth natural size. 

 Twig one-half natural size. Single flowers, 

 enlarged. 



It is an all-purpose wood, being 



