Sugar Maple
Deciduous tree growing 18-23 m tall with a dense, rounded crown. Features opposite, simple leaves with 3-5 lobes and few teeth. Produces small, greenish-yellow flowers in spring. Renowned for brilliant fall foliage ranging from yellow to orange to red, and sap used for maple syrup production. Prefers well-drained, slightly acidic to alkaline soils and full sun to partial shade. Important for wildlife and highly valued for wood in furniture making. Sensitive to road salt and urban pollution.
Plant Details
Bloom Colour: Yellow-green
Bloom Time: Early Spring
Sun Requirements: Shade to Sun
Moisture: Moist-Drained
Phenology: Flower buds open in mid-April with emerging leaves. Leaves unfold light green with silky hairs in late April, reaching full size by late May. Samaras develop green, ripening in September. Spectacular fall colors begin late September, progressing yellow to orange to red, lasting through October. Deeply furrowed bark prominent in winter.
Wildlife Value: Seeds valued by songbirds, squirrels, and chipmunks; important nesting tree for many bird species; sap feeding sites for yellow-bellied sapsuckers; browse for deer and moose
Habit Over Time: Forms a dense, oval to rounded crown with great symmetry. Slower growing than other maples but very long-lived. Creates deep shade beneath its canopy but has a relatively deep root system that allows for careful understory planting. Fall color is reliably brilliant. Branch structure is strong and upright, maintaining its form even in winter.
Height: Tall (60-75 feet)