The order of the color change for sugar maple leaves is green, yellow, orange, red and finally dark purple. It takes about 40 gallons of sugar maple tree sap to produce one gallon of pure maple syrup. Sugar maple tree facts are pretty interesting to know. Landscape Attributes. Sugar maples leaves get their fall coloring from anthocyanins they manufacture late in … Sugar maple tree is a native of North America and is the most commonly found species amongst the seven other types of maple trees. INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MAPLE TREES Sugar, Black, and Red maples are the trees that are important for maple syrup production. Simply enter your email address to get our weekly facts! The sugar maple tree may grow to a height of 40 metres (130 feet). As you can see, the tree still has a touch of the summer green leave, but the leaves were quickly changing to yellow and orange. Omissions? The sugar maple tree is a medium to large tree species that is a member of the Acer genus. I love all of the trees in my yard, but none are more stunningly beautiful than the Sugar Maple tree in fall. Maple trees that grow tall and straight generally don't give as much sap in the spring as trees with a wider canopy, and are thus better for lumber. Once you have finished planting sugar maple trees, they will grow at a slow to medium rate. The average sugar maple tree produces around 3 gallons of sap daily and between 9 and 14 gallons per season. The image on the right is a photo of the Sugar Maple tree in my own front yard. The Comfort Maple is an enormous and strangely shaped sugar maple tree which is believed to be at least 500 years old, the oldest maple tree in Canada. However, the leaf isn’t a replica of any specific maple leaf species but does closely resemble the leaf of a sugar maple tree. Sugar Maple differs from the other trees in the forest because their young can grow in the heavy shade of the forest. Fall Fiesta® Sugar Maple has dark green foliage throughout the season. Britannica Kids Holiday Bundle! Sugar maple, (Acer saccharum), also called hard maple or rock maple, large tree in the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), native to eastern North America and widely grown as an ornamental and shade tree. It has a dense crown of leaves, which turn various shades of gold to scarlet in fall. As kings, Sugar Maples have many servants that support them in their rise to prominence. They are known for the beautiful, unequally-shaped leaves that make any landscape come alive. The most popular types of maples include red maple, Japanese maple, silver maple and Norway maple. Apollo® Sugar Maple is a dense deciduous tree with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. The lifespan of a maple tree is between 100 and 400 years, depending on the species. The trunk and autumn leaves of a large sugar maple (, A man and his son using a hand drill to tap a sugar maple tree (. Sugar maple dominates this 12 ha stand, accounting for 65% of the basal area after the first selection treatment in 1973 and 59% after the second treatment in 1993. The tree is also known as the scarlet maple, the swamp maple, and the water maple. A picture of a sugar maple tree in the middle of a field. NOW 50% OFF! Copyright © 2020 Facts Just for Kids. Maple trees can live to 200 years and beyond and have been tapped for 150 years or more. Growth Rate This tree grows at a slow to medium rate, with height increases of anywhere from less than 12" to 24" per year. The average length and width of a leaf on a mature sugar maple tree is between 7 and 9 inches. Fall Fiesta® Sugar Maple is a dense deciduous tree … The sugar maple (hard maple, rock maple) is one of our largest and finest forest trees, growing to a feet with a diameter of 2 or more feet. Japanese maples are the smallest type of maple tree to live in North America. The tree produces a dense, round, compact crown when grown in the open and is used quite extensively as a shade or ornamental tree. Join thousands of other people getting facts in their inbox every week. A 10-year-old tree is typically about 5 m (16 ft) tall. A common myth is the leaf on the Canadian flag is a sugar maple leaf. Neither the flowers nor the fruit are ornamentally significant. Smooth grayish bark on the trunk and branches gradually furrows with age. Southern sugar maple (Acer barbatum) is often used as a substitute for sugar maple (Acer saccharum) in the South. Southern Sugar Maple. Although heights of 120 feet are possible, few sugar maples exceed 70 feet. Sugar Maples Are Highly Adaptable Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Sugar maple is a deciduous tree that can grow to a height of 50 to 130 feet. Native to eastern North America, it is widely cultivated elsewhere. The flowers are greenish-yellow in short, upright sprays in spring Plant range Alaska, Canada to SE United States The sap, collected from t… 5 Interesting Facts About Sugar Maples 1. Many of the root systems are typically dense and fibrous, inhibiting the growth of other vegetation underneath them. Its three- to five-lobed leaves appear after the greenish yellow flowers of spring. Sugar Maple Tree Facts. However, in favorable growing conditions they can reach a height greater than 140 feet. Corrections? The lesson will explore the following about maple trees: The color of their leaves The average height of a mature sugar maple tree is between 80 and 115 feet. The sugar maple tree is native to the northeastern part of the United States and parts of Canada. It is commercially important as a source of maple syrup, maple sugar, and hardwood lumber useful in furniture manufacture and flooring. Along with the color of its leaves, the buds, seeds, and new branches of the red maple also have a … Its three- to five-lobed leaves appear after the greenish yellow flowers of spring. Comments: Sugar Maple is a tree of economic importance because it is the source of maple syrup. The sugar maple tree grows to a height of 60–75' and a spread of 40–50' at maturity. The fruits are paired samaras. In a balanced, healthy productive sugarbush an ideal number of maples would be approximately 70 per acre. Leaves and Flowers:. There are so many varieties of maple trees that it is hard to keep up with them all! The scientific species name for the sugar maple tree is Acer saccharum. Leaves are opposite simple. The sugar maple tree is also known for being the main source of maple syrup products. A picture of a sugar maple tree during the autumn months. The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) captures the imagination with its sweet sap harvested with a little spigot and its inspiring autumn display.It is one of America’s most beloved trees, named state tree of no less than four states. Maple trees are popular because they are cold resistant and can grow extremely fast. I took this photo on Oct. 22. The leaves are 3-5 inches long, … Facts about Maple Trees 9: the uses Maple trees are not only used to produce maple syrups. The lobed leaves turn outstanding shades of yellow, orange and red in the fall. The sap contains 1.5 to 3 percent solids, mostly sucrose, but does not have the colour or flavour of maple syrup, which are imparted to the sap as it is concentrated by evaporation in open pans or boiled down. A sugar maple tree growing in deep, well-drained soil is happiest. Trees are tapped for syrup in late winter/early spring throughout New England. Their under-surface is comparatively less dark. The municipalities, businesses and homeowners also use it as a decorative tree. Fears of a mass Sugar Maple Extinction surfaced at an international maple syrup producers' conference in Rutland, Vt. Botanists from Vermont and Canada presented environmental evidence to support their dire forecasts and sugar makers confirmed their findings with reports of extensive Maple Tree deaths and serious production losses. The wood of Sugar Maple is also important economically because it is used in the construction of furniture, paneling, flooring, veneer, gunstocks, tool handles, cutting blocks, woodenware, sporting goods, bowling pins, and musical instruments. When the tree is dormant, the sweet-water sap will flow from any wound in the sapwood, such as a taphole, each time a period of freezing is followed by a period of thawing. The sugar maple tree is a hardwood deciduous tree, which means it sheds its leaves annually. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. About 115 to 190 litres (30 to 50 gallons) of sap yield 4 litres (around 1 gallon) of syrup. Since the sugar maple is so abundant and has a high heat BTU, it also is widely used for firewood to heat homes. Silver maple, (Acer saccharinum), large, spreading tree, of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), popular as a rapid-growing shade tree. It has a dense crown of leaves, which turn various shades of gold to scarlet in fall. Details A. saccharum is a large, deciduous tree to 20m with a dense, oval to rounded crown and large, dull-green, three- to five-lobed leaves that turn brilliant orange, red and yellow in autumn. To learn more about these topics, review the lesson connected to this quiz called Maple Tree Facts: Lesson for Kids. As with most trees, forest-grown sugar maples form a much taller trunk and narrower canopy than open-growth ones. The tree will also grow in partial sun, with at least four hours of direct, unfiltered sun every day. Maple syrup was first recorded as being produced in 1540 by Native Americans using the sugar maple’s sap. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Sugar maple is the primary source for maple sugar and syrup. Learn more about making your maple syrup. Several varieties of sugar maples are available; their leaf crowns may be columnar, oval, or pyramidal in shape, with dark green to yellowish leaves. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. It usually takes up to 50 gallons of sugar maple sap (depending on sugar content) to make one gallon of syrup. Interesting Maple tree Facts: Size of maple tree depends on the species. And the history of maples is as intriguing as the tree … Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/plant/sugar-maple, Herbarium - Cofrin Center for Biodiversity - University of Wisconsin Green Bay - Sugar Maple, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Sugar Maple, How Stuff Works - Home and Garden - Sugar Maple, United State Department of Agriculture - Acer saccharum Marsh - Sugar Maple. Vermont controls 35 percent of U.S. maple syrup production. The sugar maple tree may grow to a height of 40 metres (130 feet). The sap from the sugar maple is used to make syrup! Whew! The soil should be acidic to slightly alkaline. each year. Sap from the trunks of sugar maples is used to make maple syrup. As the season changes from summer to fall, sugar maple leaves change into a wide variety of colors. Expect your trees to grow from one foot to two feet (30-61 cm.) The trees of wider berth produce better yields of sap for the production of maple syrup. A picture of a sugar maple tree and some sap buckets. The fruits are paired samaras. When you buy maple syrup at the store, the volume of syrup you... 2. It takes 10 gallons of raw sap to make 1 quart of maple syrup. Maple tree has brown bark that is smooth in young plants and rough in older plants. The lifespan of a sugar maple tree is estimated to be between 200 and 300 years. The sugar maple tree is the state tree of Vermont, and this one might be your favorite. Some types of maple can be grown as bonsai, while other can reach the height of 145 feet. Maples vary radically in size. 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