Part 4

Twigs: Slender, brown, smooth, often with pale lenticels; leaf scars opposite, U-shaped, with 3-7 bundle traces.

Buds: Pointed, dark brown, finely hairy, up to one-fourth inch long.

Leaves: Opposite, simple; blades up to 6 inches long and nearly as broad, palmately 3- to 5-lobed, drooping on the sides, the edges of the leaves sparsely and coarsely toothed, green and smooth on the upper surface, yellow-green and smooth or hairy on the veins on the lower surface; leafstalks up to 5 inches long, smooth or hairy. The leaves turn yellow in the autumn.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but sometimes on the same tree, in dense clusters, yellowish, appearing as the leaves unfold.

Fruit: Borne in pairs, composed of a wing with a seed at the base, reddish-brown to greenish, up to 1 inch long.

Wood: Heavy, strong, coarse-grained, brown.

Uses: Furniture, cabinets.

Habitat: Rich woodlands.

Range: New Hampshire across to Minnesota and South Dakota, south to Louisiana, east to Georgia.

Distinguishing Features: The Black Maple is distinguished from the Sugar Maple by its drooping leaves. It differs from the Southern Sugar Maple, which also has drooping leaves, by its larger, thinner leaves.

RED MAPLE Acer rubrum L.

Growth Form: Medium tree up to 70 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown oval or rounded.

Bark: Gray and smooth when young, becoming darker and scaly.

Twigs: Slender, mostly smooth, more or less reddish, usually with pale lenticels; leaf scars opposite, U-shaped, with 3-7 bundle traces.

Buds: Rounded, reddish, usually hairy, up to ¼ inch long.

Leaves: Opposite, simple; blades up to 6 inches long, nearly as broad, palmately 3- to 5-lobed, the edges of the leaves sharply toothed to nearly toothless, pale green and smooth on the upper surface, white or gray and either smooth or hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks smooth or finely hairy, up to 4 inches long.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately, but sometimes on the same tree, in dense clusters, bright red or yellow, opening in February and March before the leaves begin to unfold.

Fruit: Borne in pairs, composed of an erect wing with a seed at the base, red or yellow, up to 1 inch long.

Wood: Heavy, close-grained, light brown.

Uses: Furniture, gun-stocks.

Habitat: Swamps, low woods, upland slopes, bluff tops.

Range: Newfoundland across to Ontario, south to eastern Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The Red Maple is characterized by its white lower leaf surfaces and its shallowly lobed leaves. The similar Silver Maple has very deeply lobed leaves.

SWAMP RED MAPLE rubrum L. var. drummondii (H. & A.) Sarg.

Growth Form: Medium tree up to 40 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1 foot; crown narrow.

Bark: Gray and smooth when young, becoming darker and scaly.

Twigs: Slender, white-hairy when young, usually becoming smooth or nearly so, reddish; leaf scars opposite, U-shaped, with 3-7 bundle traces.

Buds: Rounded, reddish, hairy, up to ¼ inch long.