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 Maple Trees...
Sugar Maple:
Acer saccharum Marsh
Other names: Hard Maple, Rock Maple
The Sugar maple is a characteristic tree of broadleaf forests ranging from the Maritime provinces to the southern parts of Ontario and Quebec. Frequently planted as a shade tree and for its spectacular autumn colour.
Leaves:8 to 20 cm long, somewhat wider; 5 occasionally 3 lobes with long, blunt-pointed tips and a few irregular, wavy teeth; central lobe almost square, separated from lateral lobes by wide, rounded notches; upper surface deep yellowish-green, paler and hairless beneath; yellow to brilliant orange and bright red in autumn.
Buds:Terminal bud narrowly cone shaped, 6 to 12 cm long, sharp-pointed, medium to darn brown, with 6 to 8 pairs of faintly hairy scales.
Twigs: Shiny reddish-brown to green, hairless
Fruits:Wings 30 to 35 mm long, slightly divergent. Seed case plump. Keys in drooping clusters on slender stalks usually longer than the wings. Paired keys often shed as a unit; usually only one of the pair contained a viable seed. Seed produced most years, with a good crop at intervals up to 7 years; often germinate and have fully expanded cotyledons in the spring while there is still snow on the ground.
Vegetative Reproduction:Dormant buds at the base of most trees sprout vigorously if tree is cut down or damaged. Buried stems produce adventitious roots.
Bark:Smooth, gray, becoming dark gray, divided into long, vertical, firm, irregular ridges that usually curl outward along one side, occasionally somewhat scaly.
Wood:Heavy, hard, strong, light yellowish-brown; often with curly grain called bird's eye. Diffuse-porous; rays easily visible.
Size and Form:Medium-sized to large trees, up to 35 m high, 90 cm in diameter, and 200 years old; occasionally larger.Trunk straight , often branch-free for two-thirds or more of its height. Crown narrow, round-topped, with short, sturdy branches. Root system deep, wide-spreading.
Grows best on deep fertile, moist, well drained soils, with some lime content; also does well on deep soils on the Canadian shield although they are low in lime. In pure stands, but usually mixed with other broadleaf species, as well as with Eastern White Pine and Eastern Hemlock. Tolerates heavy shade and browsing for many years and then grows normally when released by an opening in the canopy. Decomposing leaves tend to enrich the soil by reducing the acidity and increasing the mineral content.
Quick Recognition: Leaves with 5 taper-pointed lobes; teeth few, irregular. Buds long pointed, with 6 to 8 pairs of scales. Paired keys with stalks longer than the wings; wings slightly divergent
Notes:Wood is used for furniture, flooring, toys, cabinetwork, veneer, plywood, turned woodenware, and cutting blocks. Canada's national tree; a stylized version of its leaf is the central feature of the Canadian flag. The sap of the Sugar Maple is the principal source for Maple syrup and sugar. It requires about 40 litres of sap to make one litre of syrup. Sugar maples occasionally exhibit a progressive dieback usually starting at the top. Some suspected causes are air pollution, soil conditions, drought and other weather conditions, and damage by diseases and insects. Black maple is closely related and similar, intermediate forms are common. |
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