FNPS Plant Database

Acer saccharum subsp. floridanum

Florida maple

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

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

Coming Soon!

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

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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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.

Citations:

Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H.; [Technical coordinators] 1990. Silvics of North America: Volume 2. Hardwoods. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook 654 (  https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1548 ). 



Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell.  1999.  Native Florida Plants.  Gulf Publishing Company.  Houston, TX.



Huegel, Craig, N.  2010.  Native plant landscaping for Florida wildlife.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL. (wildlife uses).



Nelson, Gil.  2003.  Florida's Best Landscape Plants. Association of Florida Native Nurseries.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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