RED MAPLE 



Acer rubrum Linnaeus 



Red maple is our most showy tree of early spring. Its buds begin 

 to develop with the first sunny days and the tree is soon covered with 

 bloom. In autumn it is equally conspicuous, when its leaves, after the 

 early frosts, turn a brilliant red. The red maple loves swamps and low 

 grounds, and often borders woodlands. The tree is usually small or of 

 medium size, but is reported, under exceptionally favorable conditions, 

 to attain a height of 12.0 feet. The bark of old trees is rough and dark, 

 but on young trees, smooth and gray. The light brown wood is used 

 in the manufacture of furniture and of small turned articles. 



Red maple ranges from Florida to Texas and northward to Nebras- 

 ka, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia. 



The specimen sketched was found at Spring Lake, New Jersey. 



PLATE 137 



