Acer rubrum
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Red Maple
Sapindaceae
Plant Specifics
Form: | Tree | |
Size: | 45 to 50 ft tall by 35 to 50 ft wide. Trunk diameter up to 3 ft. | |
Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
Flower Color: | Red | |
Fruit Color: | Red | |
Phenology: | Deciduous. Blooms in winter. Fruits ripen quickly after bloom | |
Noted for: | - |
Landscaping
Recommended Uses: | Shade or fall color tree for moist areas. Rain gardens or bioswales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Considerations: | Fast growing, fairly weak. Shallow, wide-spreading root system. Do not plant near septic tank or drainfield. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Propagation: | Can be grown from purchased saplings, seedlings, or from seed. Grows readily from seed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Availability: | Big box stores, Native nurseries, FNPS plant sales, Quality nurseries | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Light: | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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(Usually moist, occasional inundation ----- to ----- Not wet but not extremely dry) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Moisture Tolerance: | Usually moist, occasional inundation ----- to ----- Not wet but not extremely dry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Soil or other substrate: | Organic material (muck), Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Soil pH: | Adaptable, but prefers acidic |
Ecology
Wildlife: |
Seeds consumed mostly by squirrels and other rodents. | |
Insects: | Attracts bees. Larval host for imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) , cecropia silkmoth (Hyalophora cecropia), polyphemus moth(Antheraea polyphemus) and rosy maple moth (Dryocampa rubicunda). | |
Native Habitats: | Flatwoods, swamps, moist secondary woods |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
10A 10B 8A 8B 9A 9B
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Comments
Ethnobotany: | Sap once used as a source of sugar (less desirable that sugar maple sap). Wood strips used to make baskets. | |
General Comments: | In January the tree bears tiny red flowers followed by conspicuous, bright-red, winged samaras,or keys, which remain on trees for several weeks, serving as indicators of spring. Florida-grown stock does not need cold temperatures to stimulate flowering, but out-of-state stock does, and should be avoided. Red maple has the greatest south-north range of tree species in eastern North America. |