South to southern Florida; west to Dakota, Nebraska, and Texas.
Habit.—A medium-sized tree, 40-50 feet high, rising occasionally in swamps to a height of 60-75 feet; trunk 2-4 feet in diameter, throwing out limbs at varying angles a few feet from the ground; branches and branchlets slender, forming a bushy spray, the tips having a slightly upward tendency; head compact, in young trees usually rounded and symmetrical, widest just above the point of furcation. In the first warm days of spring there shimmers amid the naked branches a faint glow of red, which at length becomes embodied in the abundant scarlet, crimson, or yellow of the long flowering stems; succeeded later by the brilliant fruit, which is outlined against the sober green of the foliage till it pales and falls in June. The colors of the autumn leaves vie in splendor with those of the sugar maple.
Bark.—In young trees smooth and light gray, becoming very dark and ridgy in large trunks, the surface separating into scales, and in very old trees hanging in long flakes; young shoots often bright red in autumn, conspicuously marked with oblong white spots.
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds aggregated at or near the ends of the preceding year's shoots, about ⅛ inch long; protected by dark reddish scales; inner scales lengthening with the growth of the shoot. Leaves simple, opposite, 3-4 inches long, green and smooth above, lighter and more or less pubescent beneath, especially along the veins; turning crimson or scarlet in early autumn; ovate, 3-5-lobed, the middle lobe generally the longest, the lower pair (when 5 lobes are present) the smallest; unequally sharp-toothed, with broad, acute sinuses; apex acute; base heart-shaped, truncate, or obtuse; leafstalk 1-3 inches long. The leaves of the red maple vary greatly in size, outline, lobing, and shape of base.
Inflorescence.—April 1-15. Appearing before the leaves in close clusters encircling the shoots of the previous year, varying in color from dull red or pale yellow to scarlet; the sterile and fertile flowers mostly in separate clusters, sometimes on the same tree, but more frequently on different trees; calyx lobes oblong and obtuse; petals linear-oblong; pedicels short; stamens 5-8, much longer than the petals in the sterile and about the same length in the fertile flowers; the smooth ovary surmounted by a style separating into two much-projecting stigmatic lobes.
Fruit.—Fruit ripe in June, hanging on long stems, varying from brown to crimson; keys about an inch in length, at first convergent, at maturity more or less divergent.
Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; found in a wider range of soils than any other species of the genus, but seeming to prefer a gravelly or peaty loam in positions where its roots can reach a constant supply of moisture. It is more variable than any other of the native maples and consequently is not so good a tree for streets, where a symmetrical outline and uniform habit are required. It is transplanted readily, but recovers its vigor more slowly than does the sugar or silver maple and is usually of slower growth. Its variable habit makes it an exceedingly interesting tree in the landscape.
