![]() Their lime-green appearance in early spring (just before foliage emergence) gives the entire tree a wispy look, especially in the breeze. The long-pediceled flowers of Sugar Maple may be male, female, or perfect, with all occurring on the same tree, thus making this species polygamomonoecious. Sugar Maple may have yellow, orange, or red fall color, or may have all of these plus green at the same time in its autumn canopy. Fall color is highly variable but usually outstanding, and a given tree may go through a sequence of colors from top to bottom as the autumn progresses. The dark green leaves have medium green undersides. The bottom two lobes (one on either side of the petiole) are the smallest. Leaves of Sugar Maple are opposite, have a fairly long petiole, and have five lobes, each lobe of which is sparsely incised or toothed. Verticillium wilt is an occasional disease primarily occurring in wet springs, and leaf scorch is a perennial problem when drought occurs. Sugar Maple also does not like being transplanted into heavy clay soils or to long periods of drought in summer. More commonly, encroachment of construction traffic and the associated soil compaction, soil grade change, root disturbance, and various pollutions associated with housing construction and subsequent urban conditions do not favor established Sugar Maples, and they often respond with a rapid decline or death when their forest is converted into a subdivision. Sugar Maple does not perform nearly as well in the southern limits of its range (zones 7 and 8), where the heat, humidity, and drought of summer take their toll. Sugar Maple adapts to shady conditions in its youth, but must eventually grow in full sun to partial sun, and is found in zones 4 to 8. The key to the preservation of established Sugar Maples is to not disturb the roots by extensive digging, or compact the soil above them with heavy equipment or vehicles, or a serious decline in tree health will likely occur. Clay soils cause it to struggle more in terms of root penetration to tap into deep soil moisture in times of drought. While it prefers acidic soils, it adapts readily to those of neutral or alkaline pH. Sugar Maple thrives when it is planted or transplanted into rich, moderately deep soils having even moisture coupled with good drainage. As a member of the Maple Family, it is related to all other species of Maple. A native of southern Canada, the greater Midwest, and the Northeastern United States, a Sugar Maple tree found in the open may easily grow to 80 feet tall by 40 feet wide. Native Americans invented the process of maple sap collection and its distillation into maple sugar and maple syrup. The hardness of the wood gives it the alternative common name of Rock Maple. It is valued for its hard, dense, fine-grained and difficult-to-split wood, which is utilized for floors, furniture, veneer, musical instruments, and railroad ties. Sugar Maple ( Acer saccharum) is a favorite shade tree with reliable fall color, found in the forests and meadows throughout all of Ohio, but flourishing in the cooler climates and more acidic soils of northeastern Ohio and Appalachia. Soil Type: Rich, moderately deep, even moisture, good drainage Fall 2022 DNAP eNews - Prairie RestorationĪ deciduous tree from the Maple Family (Aceraceae). ![]()
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