FNPS Plant Database

Acer saccharum subsp. floridanum

Florida maple

  • ©Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter

  • ©Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter

  • ©Rick Cantrell

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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:

Seed, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

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

Light:

Part Shade, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

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

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

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

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:

Loam, Sand

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:

Mammals

Birds, bats and small mammals use as habitat. Seeds predominantly eaten by squirrels and other rodents.

Bees
Attracts bees but may also be self-fertile.

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., and Barbara H. Honkala [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 , accessed 2025. 


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: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


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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