Range: New Brunswick across to Minnesota and South Dakota, south to Oklahoma, Texas, east to northern Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The deeply lobed leaves which are silvery-white on the flower surface best distinguish this tree.
SUGAR MAPLE
Acer saccharum Marsh.
Other Name: Hard Maple.
Growth Form: Medium to large tree up to 80 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown broadly rounded, with many branches.
Bark: Gray to dark brown to black, becoming furrowed and scaly.
Twigs: Slender, smooth, brown, often with pale lenticels; leaf scars opposite, U-shaped, with 3-7 bundle traces.
Buds: Pointed, dark brown, smooth or a little hairy, shiny, up to ¼ inch long.
Leaves: Opposite, simple; blades up to 5 inches long, nearly as broad or a little broader, palmately 3- to 5-lobed, the edges of the leaves sparsely and coarsely toothed, dark green and smooth on the upper surface, green or paler on the lower surface and usually smooth, or sometimes hairy on the veins; leafstalks up to 3 inches long, smooth and sometimes hairy. The leaves turn brilliant shades of yellow and orange in the autumn.