Description
Red maple is a native, deciduous tree in the Sapindaceae (soapberry) family that may grow to 120 feet tall with a trunk 6 feet in diameter, but is more commonly 40 to 70 feet high and 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 feet across. It is a handsome shade tree with a rounded crown and ascending branches to a 30- to 50-foot spread. In nature, it can be found growing in upland deciduous forests, up to at least 1500 meters in elevation.
Red maple is easy to grow in average, medium to wet, well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. It is tolerant of a wide range of soils, including clay, but prefers moist, slightly acidic conditions. It is very cold hardy and grows faster than Norway and sugar maples, but slower than silver maples.
This is one of the first trees to show color in the fall. The leaves are opposite, with three to five palmate lobes and toothed margins on long red stems. The red maple has a slightly smaller leaf than most other species of maples. Its leaves' most distinctive feature is a rough, saw-like edge. If the leaf margin, or edge, of your maple's leaves appear serrated, it is probably a red maple. The bark of young trees is smooth and silvery-gray, becoming scaly and dark with age. Small, red flowers in clusters mature in late winter, and the tree is one of the first to flower in early spring. During spring, light brown or red-winged samaras mature. In the fall the leaves turn orange-red, though the brilliance of this color can vary among individual trees. It is easy to plant and establish as a transplant of a small specimen bare-root, or balled and burlapped.
This tree is the best choice for a soft maple. It makes an excellent lawn, park, or street tree. It has some tolerance for air pollution. The light, creme-colored wood, which is known commercially as soft maple, is heavy, closed grained, and rather weak. It is used as pulpwood and in the manufacture of furniture and woodenware.