Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
Photo by: Rick Cantrell, Magnolia Chapter FNPS
Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Florida maple

Synonym(s):

Acer barbatum, Acer floridanum

Genus species:

Acer saccharum subsp. floridanum

Family:

Sapindaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

To about 25  ft tall.

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

green

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms in spring (inconspicuous). Fruits ripen by fall. Fall color is yellow to salmon.

Noted For:

Fall Color

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen tree. Understory tree in mesic woods and on slopes.  Similar to sugar maple, but much smaller.

Considerations:

None.

Availability:

FNPS Plant Sales, Seed

Propagation:

Seed. Warm moist stratification followed by some cold is said to improve germination.

Light:

Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

--|----|-- <------------------------->

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Short very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

Adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds, Mammals

Attracts  bees but may also be self-fertile.

Birds, bats and small mammals use as habitat.





Seeds predominatly eaten by squirrels and other rodents. 

Native Habitats:

Moist to moderately dry hammocks of north to north-central Florida.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Slow growing; hard, strong wood. This tree has an erect form with a single trunk and a spreading crown.