Sugar Maple

Scientific Name:
Acer saccharum 

Average height at maturity:
60 to 75 feet 

Average width of canopy at maturity:
40 to 50 feet 

Leaves and bark:

  • The Sugar Maple is well known for its leaves which have 5 lobes and are 3 to 6 inches long. These leaves are dark green in summer and yellow, orange and red in autumn, and can be found in opposite pairs.
  • The Sugar Maple has gray-brown bark which is deeply furrowed.

Other fun and interesting facts:

  • The sugar maple is native to the eastern United States and Canada and is the state tree of New York.
  • The sugar maple is used to produce maple sap which is then used to create maple syrup.
  • Native Americans and European settlers used the inner bark to make a tea which was used to treat coughs.
  • Ash from sugar maples was used to make soap and syrup was used for liver and kidney problems.
  • The fruit of sugar maples are double samaras (winged seeds), also known as helicopters.
  • During the 2001 baseball season, Barry Bonds used a bat made out of maple wood instead of an baseball bat made out of ash and set the record for the most home runs in a season with 73.
  • Look for a sugar maple near the swings in Wood Park, in Station Park near the path, in the Leonia Sculpture Garden, and around Leonia.

 

Sources:

https://www.massmaple.org/about-maple-syrup/
https://www.centralparknyc.org/plants/sugar-maple
https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/sugar-maple#:~:text=Sugar%20maple%20is%20a%20popular,orange%2C%20and%20red%20fall%20foliage.
https://extension.umaine.edu/signs-of-the-seasons/indicator-species/sugar-maple-fact-sheet/
https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/treedetail.cfm?itemID=870
https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/sugar-maple/

 

Photo Credit to Ben Leynse
Information compiled as part of Robert Slater’s 2023 Eagle Scout Project