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Acer floridanum(syn.Acer saccharumsubsp.floridanum(Chapm.) Desmarais,Acer barbatumauct. nonMichx.), commonly known as theFlorida mapleand occasionally as thesouthern sugar mapleorhammock maple, is a tree that occurs inmesicand usuallycalcareouswoodlands of the Atlantic and Gulfcoastal plainin theUnited States, from southeasternVirginiain the north, south to centralFlorida, and west toOklahomaandTexasand also common in south Illinois and Missouri[3][4][5]
Description
It is a medium-sized to largedeciduoustree, growing to 15–25 m (exceptionally to 38 m) tall, with an elliptical crown of moderate density with a smooth or rounded outline. Thebarkis a light gray with thick irregular curling ridges; as the tree matures, the bark tends to become plated. Thetwigsare slender, somewhat shiny, reddish brown. The terminalbudsare sharply pointed, brown and pubescent. Theleavesare opposite, simple, palmately lobed and veined, 3–9.5cm long and 3.5–11cm broad, with an entire margin and three or five somewhat rounded lobes, and a 2–8cm longpetiole. They are green above and paler and pubescent below. In fall they turn orange and yellow. Theflowersare regular, pentamerous, and appear on yellow-greencorymbsand are quite small. They hang from puberulentpedicels2.4–5cm long in clusters of a few flowers, appearing before or with the leaves in early spring. This is about two weeks prior to the maturation of the flowers ofAcer saccharum. The tree is generallydiecious, though they are often also polygamous, that is having bisexual and unisexual flowers on the same individual. Thefruitis a pairedsamara1.5–3cm long.[5][6]
Acer floridanumcan easily be confused in the field with the closely relatedAcer leucodermeandAcer saccharum. It can be best distinguished fromA. saccharumby noting the smaller leaves with short and acute lobes, the smaller samaras, and the more whitish bark. Several overlaps in genetics between these two species have been found in east Texas and in the zone fromMarylandsouth to northern Florida, despite the fact that Maryland is listed as beyond the natural range of the tree. In light of this information, it can be assumed that the twohybridize.[5]FromA. leucoderme, it is best told by the white hairs on the undersides of the leaves, yellow-haired inA. leucoderme.[7]
Taxonomy
Debate still exists about its taxonomic status, which has been controversial for at least 100 years.[3]
The Florida Maple was first recognised as distinct in 1860 byAlvan Wentworth Chapman, who treated it as a variety ofA. saccharum. In 1886Ferdinand Albin Paxdecided it was distinct enough to be treated as a separate species, making the new combinationA. floridanum(Chapm.) Pax.[3]In 1952, Yves Desmarais took an intermediate option, treating it as a subspeciesAcer saccharumsubsp.floridanum(Chapm.) Desmarais, a treatment which has fairly wide recent recognition.[4][8][9]
A further problem exists with the specific nameAcer barbatum, given to a maple byAndré Michauxin 1803 from samples collected in theCarolinasduring his decade in North America from 1785 to 1796. For a long time it was unclear if the plant he collected wasAcer saccharum(Sugar Maple) orA. floridanum, as his samples were badly damaged on his return toParis.M. L. Fernaldreexamined the species in the mid-1940s for the 8th edition of Gray's Manual, published in 1950; on reviewing Michaux's notes onA. barbatum, he decided to apply this name to the Florida Maple in 1945, based on his interpretation that Michaux's samples, which he only knew through notes (Michaux's collections were in Paris, inaccessible asWorld War IIhad not yet ended), corresponded more closely to Florida Maple than to Sugar Maple. Since the oldest given name takes precedence, he used the nameA. barbatumfor the Florida Maple. Many subsequent authors accepted this judgement, such as theUnited States Forest Service,[5][10]and Wilbur H. Duncan and Marion Duncan'sTrees of the Southeastern United States, published in 1988. However, recent examination by D. B. Ward has shown that they are typicalAcer saccharumafter all, and notA. floridanumas Fernald had thought without examination, and thus Michaux's name is correctly a synonym ofA. saccharum.[3][4]
Distribution and ecology
The distribution is discontinuous in thePiedmontandAtlantic Coastal Plainfrom southeasternVirginiasouthwest acrossNorth Carolina,South CarolinaandGeorgia, as well as into theFloridaPanhandle. The range goes farther west acrossAlabama,Mississippi,Louisiana, into easternTexas, and north throughArkansasand into easternOklahoma. The species also occurs in several isolated locations roughly halfway down theGulf Coastof the Florida peninsula, and also in at least one location in central Oklahoma. The species is also found in isolated locations ofIllinois,Montana,Tennesseeand Kentucky.[5][10]
The average annual rainfall within the native area ranges from 112 to 163cm (44 to 64in). The driest months average no less than 50mm (2.0in). The normal temperatures in January within the range vary from 11 to 18°C (52 to 64°F) maximum, and from −2 to 7°C (28 to 45°F) minimum, whereas in July normal maxima are 29 to 33°C (84 to 91°F), and minima are 21 to 24°C (70 to 75°F). The tree favours moist, but well-drained fertile soils, especially on stream terrace, in coves, and on adjacent bluffs and ridgetops. It grows best on soils containingcalcareousmaterial such aslimestoneormarl. It also grows well on the densely forested hammocks of Florida, hence its alternative common name hammock maple. It is most often confined to the understory.[5]
Cultivation and uses
While not an overwhelmingly popular tree in cultivation, it is sometimes employed in theSouthern United Statesas a shade tree due to its round crown and its greater resistance to heat than that of its more showy relative the sugar maple. Several species of birds and especially squirrels make use of the tree as a nesting site and also consume its seeds as a food source.[5]
Despite the fact that of itself Florida Maple is not employed as a commercial timber species, it is used with associated commercial species when the products arepulpwood, sawtimber, orwood veneerstock. It is considered a hard maple and as high quality individuals are suitable for producing furniture, flooring, paneling, andshoe lasts. However, its relative scarcity, small size, and fairly poor shape generally confine its use to only factory and box lumber, and even this is only an occasional occurrence. It has, however, been experiencing growing popularity as an ornamental or shade tree, especially in thesouthern United Statesdue to its high heat resistance. It is also a source ofmaple syrup, though again its size and rarity limit its use in this regard, especially in light of the Sugar Maple's established popularity within the business.[5]