196 



RED MAPLE. 

 Acer rubrum, Linnaeus. 



FORM — Usually a tree about 50 ft. high, but in a moist habitat sometimes attains a height 

 of over 100 ft. with a diameter of 4 feet. When grown in the open it branches near the 

 ground and forms a deep, broad, dense crown. Upper lateral branches are rather upright while 

 lower ones are horizontal and slightly turned upwards at the end. 



BARK — On branches and young trunks smooth and gray; on old trunks dark grayish, thick, 

 shaggy, and roughened by long ridges which peel off in long plates. See Figs. 60 and 61. 



TWIGS — Somewhat slender, glossy, at first green, later red, covered with numerous light 

 lenticels. 



BUDS — Similar to those of the Silver Maple. See page 195. 



LEAVES— Opposite, simple, 3-5-lobed, coarsely-toothed, light green above, pale green to 

 whitish below, with rather shallow sharp-based sinuses. 



LEAF-SCARS — Opposite, U-shaped to V-shaped, not encircling stem. Bundle-scars 3, in a 

 lunate line. 



FLOWERS — Appear in March or April before the leaves are out, in dense sessile axillary 

 clusters. Staminate and pistillate occur in different clusters, on the same or different trees. 

 Petals present. 



FRUIT — Matures in May or June; clustered and borne on drooping stems: wings of the keys 

 usually less than 1 inch long, red to brown in color, at first convergent but later divergent. 



WOOD — Diffuse-porous; rather soft, not strong, close-grained, light brown with wide light 

 sapwood. Used for furniture, in turnery, and paper pulp. Weighs 38.5 lbs. per cubic foot. 



DISTINGUISHING CHARApTERISTICS— The Red Maple, also known as Soft Maple, Swamp 

 Maple, and White Maple, can be recognized in summer by its simple, rather small, 3-5-lobed, 



coarsely toothed leaves which are rarely silvery-white underneath, and hnve rather shallow 

 sharp-based sinuses. In winter it closely resembles the Silver Maple, but may be distinguished 

 by its red lustrous twigs and the absence of a pungent odor, from broken twigs. In winter 

 these two closely related species can be distinguished from the Sugar Maple by their 

 numerous, round, red, collateral buds; from the Striped Marie and the Mountain Maple 

 by their larger size and the absence of sf:alked buds; from the Ash-leaved Maple by the 

 absence of short-stalked downy buds and greenish twig covered with a whitish bloom. The 

 European species, both Norway Maple and Sycamore Maple, have much larger buds and 

 stouter twigs. 



RANGE — Nova Scotia to Manitoba, south to Florida and Texas. 



DISTRIBUTION IN PENNSYLVANIA— Common locally throughout the State, especially 

 in regions traversed by streams and in wet habitats. 



HABITAT — It prefers wet soil, often found in swamps but also frequents drier hillsides. 

 Commonly found along rivers, creeks, lakes, in swamps, and as an undergrowth in the forest 

 over extensive, and often rather hilly areas. 



IMPORTANCE OF THE SPECIES -The P.ed Maple produces a wood which at present is 

 of little commercial importance It may in time become more valuable. The despised species 

 of to-day may be the prized species of to-morrow. It is tolerant of shade and its chief 

 future value in forestry may be in furnisliing soil protection as a member of the under-story 

 of the forest. It may play the same role in our future forest that Beech is playing to-day 

 in the intensively managed forests of Germany, only that it is of less value for fuel. 



