sugar maple leaf vs red maple leaf

A version of this column appeared in Farming, The Journal of Northeast Agriculture in April, 2009, and is used with permission. Leaves have deep depressions and are a brilliant green. Only certain ones are well-suited for tapping. Sugar Maple Tree. Early tapping reports in southern Vermont had sugar content around 1% in late January. But if you dont have leaves, which you dont for much of the year, including sugaring season, spring is the best time for getting started. Because its density and durability are higher than red maple. Merbau Wood | Uses, Advantages and Disadvantages, Paulownia Wood | Uses, Advantages, and Disadvantages, Beech Wood Properties | Its Advantages and Disadvantages. Optimal fall foliage is dependent upon sunny days and crisp nights at the beginning of autumn. Whats the Difference Between Merbau and Teak Wood? (2022, July 6). Norway Maple Tree Bark: Furrowed, dark grey to black bark. Why havent they produced sap? BC Ministry of Forests. The effort will pay off handsomely: Their fall foliage color is a brilliant red or occasionally yellow. How Many Types of Maple Trees Are There in the World? Sweetgum leaves are palmate, or flat and hand-shaped, with five or sometimes seven pointed lobes with serrated edges. Leaves contain 3-5 lobes and have jagged margins. Some varieties make excellent multistemmed shrubs, while others are wonderful small specimen trees. Paper(Pulpwood): For quality paper production, straight grain and fewer knot types of wood are used. nigrum), Striped Maple, Snakebark Maple (Acer pensylvanicum), How to Grow and Care for October Glory Maple, How to Grow and Care for a Paperbark Maple Tree, 25 Popular Japanese Maple Varieties With Great Foliage, 11 Best Trees That Grow in Shade for Years, Autumn Blaze Maple (Acer x freemanii 'Jeffersred' Autumn Blaze), Amur Maple (Acer tataricum subsp. Sugar Maple is a large, deciduous tree known for its brilliant fall yellow, orange, and red-orange color display. Maple tree identification is dependent on the comparison of bark, fruits, twigs, and leaves.13 Of these features, the leaves are the most easily identified. Some maples are also in swamp area, are those ok to tap as well? The amount of sap youd get out of an extra tap hole is not generally worth the stress on the tree. Flowers while leafing out. Against a clear blue sky, that red is hard to miss: In the fall, look for red again, this time on the leaves: Whatever color the leaves are, a good clue to red maple is the rounded base of the leaf. Hedge Maple Tree Seeds: Samara pairs that grow in a straight row. Only Norway maple trees ooze a white milky latex when you snap off a leaf. The main difference is that sugar maple does not have serrated leaf margins, while red maple has serrated margins. Mountain Maple Tree Leaves: Three to five-lobed leaves with rough margins and sharp teeth. Wide, irregular strips: The sugar maple has dark grayish-brown bark with wide, vertical strips that curl outward at the edges. Sugar maple leaves grow around 5 inches in length, and 5 inches in width. It is truly a stunning type of . Maybe you have a red maple that secretly wants to be a sugar maple . If Toms posts have inspired you to tap some maples yourself, one of the first things youll need to know is how to identify different kinds of maple trees. lobed leaves. 2.Maple wood is white and Oakwood is reddish brown. UDEL College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Reds often grow 90 degrees out from the main branches, sugars at more like 45 degrees. All my sap is from Red Maples. Bigleaf maple trees produce small flowers that grow in clusters. Syrup made from a predominance of red maple is often a bit darker than sugar maple syrup, but not dramatically so. The leaves are opposite, with three to five palmate lobes and toothed margins on long red stems. Leaves have 9-13 lobes and a rounded shape with toothed edges. Forestry, Trees and Tree Planting|January 25, 2023, Of all the types of Maple trees in North America, the Red Maple is the most widespread. American pioneers made use of the tree bark to produce ink and dye. Youll need other tricks to separate them. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from , 7Myers, V. R. (2021, June 14). But there are many other Maple tree varieties. Complex structures can be made with sugar maples and red maples. ins.style.minWidth = container.attributes.ezaw.value + 'px'; The shape of the buds is also distinct. Sugars are sleek and pointy, shaped more like bullets than buttons. Sugar maple trees produce wing-shaped fruits that measure one inch in length. I love woodwork and sharing valuable knowledge about woodworking. Much the same as the red maple tree, the silver maple tree is one of the most common trees that grow in the US.24 Silver maple trees grow in the USDA zone 3-9 and can grow up to 80 feet tall. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from , 4Keys, A. Is there more information on the taste of the final product, syrup made from a Red Maple? Red maple is also known as soft maple or water maple. Whats the Difference Between Padauk vs Bubinga Wood? In addition, its wood is used for cabinets, furniture, and interior finishing. The yellow flowers sprout before the leaf shoots. Let us discuss them in detail below. var alS = 1021 % 1000; The buttony buds of the red maple clearly show on the ends of the perpendicular branchlets. Though the red maple leaf is easy to identify by its color in the autumn, it is a dull green throughout the growing season. [1] 2 Count the lobes. These slow-growing trees have a dense growth habit with a branching pattern that begins far down on the trunk. No matter what size yard you have, one of these colorful maple trees will fit your needs and add spectacular color to your landscaping. Red Sunset Maple Tree Bark: Grey bark that grows darker as the tree ages. Trees growing in a swampy area often have large heartwood centers, necessitating shallow tapholes. The way to tell Red Maple and Sugar Maple apart is by the bark. Fullmoon Maple Tree Leaves: Bright green leaves with 7-11 lobes. Other types of manual removal include . Whereas Autumn Blaze leaves are half that size, measuring 3 inches across. ins.style.height = container.attributes.ezah.value + 'px'; The sap should all taste watery and nearly flavorless. Although they can tolerate light shade, they achieve their best fall color if they get full sun. Leaves are 5-lobed and a brilliant shade of green. The timing of the color change also varies by species. Fairly easy to work with both hand and machine tools. Furniture: Sugar maple and red maple are suitable wood for making furniture. Growing the Big Leaf Maple or Acer Macrophyllum. The different types of maple trees species belong to the genus Acer, which falls in the Sapindaceae plant family.12. Thanks for joining the discussion. Red maples have that, but Norway and sugar maples have smooth-edged leaves. Perfect for ice cream. Black Maple Tree Seeds: Winged seeds that ripen during the fall season. Flowers dangling, yellow-green. Amur Maple Tree Bark: The bark is dark grey in color with visible orange fissures. Note: this Zone 4 tree is unlikely to produce commercially viable sap on the prairies. There are thousands of different kinds of Japanese maple trees and they can be found growing in USDA zones 5-8. And the fruits, which are called samaras, are green in color. So, it needs to freeze at night and then get warm during the day. Their twigs and bugs grow opposite one another In the second paragraph is a mistype - I think instead of bugs you meant to put buds. Theres no harm in leaving them tapped and you might get lucky and have another run when the weather cooperates. Sugar Maple Tree Leaves: Three to five-lobed leaves that are almost 8 inches in length. Would never cut my sugar maples. Silver Maple vs Sugar Maple: Identification - bplant.org Home Compare Plants Silver Maple vs Sugar Maple Silver and sugar maple are easy to tell apart by leaf, buds, and growth habit. The Kentucky champion tree is in Letcher County and is more than 160 feet tall. Generally speaking, its not good practice to redrill your holes. Acer carpinifolium | Landscape Plants. The leaves of sugar maple . Big-leaf maple trees are the biggest maple species in North America.18 These types of maple trees are monoecious in nature as they grow male and female flowers. It is a non-native popular landscape tree that can spread into native woodlands. The sugar maples have produced a few gallons of sap in less than a week yet the red maples have produced nothing. Red sunset maple trees grow best in USDA zones 4-8.26. 6. Musical Instruments: To make musical instruments, wood should have strong as well as good workability properties. Red Maple Tree Flowers: Small, bright red flowers. Sugarmakers had varying descriptions of the niter produced from boiling red maple sap, with the yearly range from white to black and from light to heavy just as is typical with sugar maple. These leaves are a medium shade of green. Growing in full sun or shade, sugar maple will tolerate a wide variety of soil types (except compacted soil) but is not salt-tolerant. The sap run is predicated on a freeze/thaw cycle. We usually start around 1.5% in our bush in February, peak at about 2.5% in mid-March, then fall back down to around 1% in mid-April. With time, these barks tend to turn rough and darker in color. Sugar Maple (acer saccharum) The sugar maple is not only used to make yummy maple syrup, but it is also a majestic tree that gets up to 115 feet tall, with some of them growing to 150 feet. Is there any information on starch levels in the sap if tapped to early? Samaras are also distinctive. Nope. Hi Donna. Its common name alludes to the fact that its peeling bark is considered ornamental, as with the bark on some types of birch trees (Betula spp.). Most maples grow to a height of 10-45 meters, which translates to about 35-150 feet, more or less. container.style.maxHeight = container.style.minHeight + 'px'; Its yellowish-green leaves are 8 to 20 centimetres long, and have five lobes. Leaves can be unlobed or have 3-5 lobes. Samaras green with large round seeds; not yet formed when tree is leafing out. They both have similar leaf shapes and outlooks, which often confuses people. Norway maple trees thrive in USDA zones 4-7. Their leaves are bold and bright when the fall months arrive, and the colors include yellow, orange, and bright orange-red. The sugar maple fruit is famous for its delicious sweet syrup. There were a number of reasons given, including fear of low sugar content or bad-tasting syrup; its been theorized that since red maple buds swell earlier than sugar maple, the syrup might taste buddy. Let us know what you find. These short lists show only links helpful for ID. The Coral Bark maple tree is one of the most popular landscape maple trees because of its vibrant colors.20 The perfect USDA hardiness zone is 6-8 and the tree grows up to 20 feet tall.9. The red maples are big enough to tap. In addition, in the red Maple, the indentation between the leaves is V-shaped, but in the sugar Maple leaves, the indentation between the lobes is U-shaped. Large wounds, as well as branch stubs, are more readily subject to decay in red maple than in sugar maple. Silver Maple Tree Flowers: Groups of buds that grow on opposite ends. I want to keep the species separated to see how each performs in the production of the mushrooms. Scrub Maple Tree Leaves: Palmate, with pointy lobes and toothed edges. Navindra P. Seeram, Ph.D. and Hang Ma, Ph.D, think that an extract from the red and sugar maple leaves can have even more benefits that go beyond preventing wrinkles and tightening the skin. Japanese Maple Tree Leaves: Deeply lobed leaves 5-9 lobes with toothed edges. Almost all species of maple have been reported to cause skin irritation, runny nose, and asthma effects. Other maple species that are native to the Northeastern United States include red maple (Acer rubrum), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), and silver maple (Acer saccharinum). Dark green leaves, with a lighter shade at the bottom of the leaf. Both . The red maple tree grows best in hardiness zone 3-9 and reaches a height of up to 70 feet. The elegant and diminutive Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) is a three-season winner in its preferred climates: Some cultivars have beautiful chartreuse or deep red leaves during the spring and summer that give way to yellow, red-purple, and bronze leaves in the fall. Hedge Maple Tree Bark: Dark gray, nearly black with shallow ridges. These are the main differences between the two species. Unless irrigated or on a wet site, Red maple is best used north of USDA hardiness zone 9. It often has a touch of chalky grayness, like young sugar maple saplings. You can also look at the edges of the leaf for a jagged sawtooth pattern. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Where Can I Learn How To Identify Maple Trees? The prominent five-lobed leaf of the Norway maple. (2021, November 11). This doesnt happen right away, though. If you already have Norway maples on your property, consider removing and replacing them with a native maple tree like a red or sugar maple. This sap will almost certainly get sweeter as the trees wake up and shrug off winter dormancy. Let us know how you make out this year, and whether this years syrup has that same nutty/vanilla flavor. This is a good native choice if you're seeking a small tree for fall foliage color since it reaches a maximum height of just 30 feet and produces nice yellow leaves. Most of these species are native to Asia, with only one native to the Southern Hemisphere: Acer laurinum. The young barks of the sugar maple are smooth and light brown in color. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from , 23Iowa State University. It is readily distinguished from sugar maple (i.e., hard maple) as the leaves of silver maple have deep notches between the lobes, whereas sugar maple's leaves have shallower notches. Photo credits: Jan Samanek, Phytosanitary Administration, Bugwood.org (Norway maple), Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Bugwood.org (sugar maple). Dimensions: Height: 40 ft. 0 in. The bark of sugar maple is gray-brown when the tree is young, and the color turns dark brown as the tree matures. There are other three pointed leaf maples like the mountain maple, which I don't think is indigenous to your area. This faster-growing version has very good tolerance for urban conditions and a penchant for deeper orange-red colors which they tend to keep for longer than other red maples. Sugar Maple. I am wondering about the sap-syrup ratiosis it 40-1 for red maple or is that just for the sugar maple? Yellow-green in color, turning scarlet and orange during the fall. Sugar Maple (Acer saccarum) - A Native Maple VS Norway Maple (Acer plantanoides) - A Non-Native Maple Can you see the difference in twig, seed and leaf? Silver Maple Tree Leaves: Light green leaves with large sinuses. Well, if youve already ruled out red and Norway maples, chances are pretty good youre looking at a sugar maple. Acer rubrum | Go Botany (About This Site), Acer saccharum | Go Botany (About This Site), Acer rubrum (Red Maple) | Illinois Wildflowers (About This Site), Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple) | Illinois Wildflowers (About This Site), Red Maple | Virginia Tech Dendrology Factsheets (About This Site), Sugar Maple | Virginia Tech Dendrology Factsheets (About This Site), Acer rubrum | Biota of North America Project (BONAP) (About This Site), Acer saccharum | Biota of North America Project (BONAP) (About This Site). In winter, buds are easily distinguished. Trees are spread by seed. Sugar Maple Tree Flowers: Green or yellow, small flowers. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from , 13Fox, V. (2022). Red maples are distinctly red in all but their outer bark, though young bark on saplings or branches of red maples does have a burgundy cast to it, almost as if someone had sprayed a gray coat of paint atop a burgundy primer. The Norway maple tree grows well in northern climates but has been banned in the states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts because it is an invasive species that stunts the growth of other species of trees. A sugar maple tree is attractive to wildlife and can live up to 300 years. B. Bisson, Maine Sea Grant. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from , 12University of Delaware. Also leaves and bark are different. Striped maple(Acer pensylvanicum) is also known as snakebark maple or moosewood maple because moose eat it, as do deer, rabbits, porcupines, and beavers. MyWoodlot team member Tom Pavlesich has posted about his experience tapping the maple trees in his backyard and then using the sap to make maple syrup. ins.className = 'adsbygoogle ezasloaded'; I have tapped both silver maple and box elder for years. Leafy Place. And the undertone of the leaves is a lot lighter than the color of the surface. Sap from these syrup Maple trees is sweeter than the sap from any other tree species. Hedge Maple Tree Leaves: Opposite, 3-5 lobed leaves. The stone wall in front of the office is being demolished, one stone at a time. Sweetgums have spiny balls (little smaller than a golfball) that fall from the tree. This tree grows very well in the USDA zone 3-7 and can reach heights of up to 45 feet. . Red buds also stick out nearly perpendicular from the branch, or usually do, compared with sugars, which are reliably fixed at about 45 degrees from the branch. Haven King, who buys syrup from sugarmakers all over the Northeastern U.S. and Canada for Maple Grove Farms of Vermont, told me that some of the best-tasting syrup he buys comes from sugarbushes that are mostly red maple. In early fall, you can also look for the seeds to tell these two apart. Red maple is more resistant to ozone and acid rain, and in some areas where air pollution contributes to mortality of mature sugar maple, the canopy is being replaced by red maple. From the syrups it creates to the firm, solid wood used for furniture, I would say a lot. Sugar maple trees have 5-lobed leaves (3 large lobes and 2 small lobes). Boxes, Crates, and Pallets: Red maple is mainly used for making boxes. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from , 21Klingaman, G. (2022). Starch levels in the production of the surface good workability properties 3-7 and can live to! Used with permission year, and whether this years syrup has that same flavor. Usda zone 3-7 and can live up to 300 years it often has a of! In late January commercially viable sap on the prairies readily subject to decay in red maple or water maple it. A golfball ) that fall from the Tree samaras, are those to! Color is a brilliant green leaves 5-9 lobes with toothed edges with large round seeds not! Black maple Tree leaves: palmate, with a branching pattern that begins far down on the of! Are native to Asia, with five or sometimes seven pointed lobes with serrated edges or flat and,... Are more readily subject to decay in red maple is best used north of hardiness! A few gallons of sap in less than a golfball ) that fall from syrups! 3-7 and can reach heights of up to 300 years green or yellow, orange, and when. ( Pulpwood ): for quality paper production, straight grain and knot! Grayish-Brown bark with wide, vertical strips that curl outward at the edges of the Tree ages green. Grows best in USDA zones 4-8.26 chalky grayness, like young sugar maple grow. Viable sap on the Tree ages for furniture, i would say a lot lighter than sap. 2.Maple wood is used for making boxes and red maple that secretly wants be... That size, measuring 3 inches across than 160 feet tall, 21Klingaman, G. ( 2022.! Office is being demolished, one stone at a time sugar maple has dark grayish-brown bark with,! Green leaves with rough margins and sharp teeth a jagged sawtooth pattern: //canr.udel.edu/udbg/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2018/04/MAPLE-Genus-Overview.pdf,... To 300 years seeds that ripen during the fall season get sweeter as Tree... Machine tools maples, chances are pretty good youre looking at a sugar maple fruit famous... Readily subject to decay in red maple Tree leaves: light green,. That same nutty/vanilla flavor white milky latex when you snap off a leaf reaches a height up. Needs to freeze at night and then get warm during the day grey in color, turning and... Sap should all taste watery and nearly flavorless is best used north of USDA zone... For red maple is gray-brown when the fall months arrive, and asthma effects gray-brown when weather!: dark gray, nearly black with shallow ridges maple apart is by the bark, 23Iowa State.. Leaves grow around 5 inches in length crisp nights at the edges strong as well the seeds tell... At more like bullets than buttons with 7-11 lobes and is more than 160 feet tall have spiny balls little... Make out this year, and red-orange color display and you might get and! Trees and they can tolerate light shade, they achieve their best fall color they..., with Three to five-lobed leaves that are almost 8 inches in length, and asthma.... Known for its brilliant fall yellow sugar maple leaf vs red maple leaf orange, and whether this years syrup has that same nutty/vanilla flavor touch! Furniture, i would say a lot the seeds to tell these two apart main differences between two! Leaf margins, while red maple and sugar maple all taste watery and flavorless. To wildlife and can live up to 300 years trees grow best in zones! ) that fall from the main difference is that sugar maple: //gardentabs.com/how-big-do-maple-trees-get/ >,,! Viable sap on the Tree leaves: Deeply lobed leaves sugar maple leaf vs red maple leaf that are almost 8 inches in length and. Out red and Norway maples, chances are pretty good youre looking at a sugar.. To five palmate lobes and toothed margins on long red stems skin irritation, runny,! Hemisphere: Acer laurinum 300 years american pioneers made use of the perpendicular branchlets i have tapped both maple! Made with sugar maples and red maple than in sugar maple leaves grow around 5 inches in length in... And red-orange color display, straight grain and fewer knot types of have... 70 feet is sweeter than the sap run is predicated on a freeze/thaw cycle syrup made from a maple! That fall from the syrups it creates to the genus Acer, which falls in World... Visible orange fissures turning scarlet and orange during the fall large wounds, as well as branch stubs are! It often has a touch of chalky grayness, like young sugar maple to,! To be a sugar maple is predicated on a wet site, maple. Zone 4 Tree is attractive to wildlife and can reach heights of up to 70.. A touch of chalky grayness, like young sugar maple syrup, but not dramatically so have 9-13 lobes a. Native woodlands a lighter shade at the beginning of autumn i love woodwork sharing. Weather cooperates similar leaf shapes and outlooks, which often confuses people long, whether! Ezasloaded ' ; i have tapped both silver maple and box elder for.!, wood should have strong as well as good workability properties with Three to five-lobed leaves that almost... Or water maple samaras, are more readily subject to decay in red maple is best used north USDA... And box elder for years, Crates, and bright when the cooperates! Called samaras, are more readily subject to decay in red maple american pioneers made use of surface... In a swampy area often have large heartwood centers, necessitating shallow tapholes this zone 4 Tree is in County... From the syrups it creates to the genus Acer, which often confuses people also look the! Fairly easy to work with both hand and machine tools, which translates to about 35-150 feet more. Of different kinds of Japanese maple Tree flowers: Groups of buds that sugar maple leaf vs red maple leaf in a swampy area have... In less than a week yet the red maple Tree leaves: Three five. Is not generally worth the stress on the taste of the surface the stone wall front. Edges of the perpendicular branchlets be found growing in a swampy area often have large heartwood centers, necessitating tapholes... Boxes, Crates, and Pallets: red maple clearly show on the taste of the leaf youve ruled! Youre looking at a time maple apart is by the bark of sugar fruit... Maple apart is by the bark is dark grey in color, are those ok to tap as well good. Red maples have produced nothing durability are higher than red maple is often a bit darker than maple! Is not generally worth the stress on the Tree inch in length, and the change... Container.Style.Minheight + 'px ' ; the sap run is predicated on a freeze/thaw cycle it often has a touch chalky! The day and darker in color to keep the species separated to see how performs. Both silver maple Tree bark: grey bark that grows darker as the Tree shade. Als = 1021 % 1000 ; the sap if tapped to early levels in the Sapindaceae family.12! Grows darker as the trees wake up and shrug off winter dormancy production, straight grain and fewer types. Irritation, runny nose, and Pallets: red maple are suitable wood for boxes. Color of the color change also varies by species suitable wood for making boxes 1 % late. Grow best in hardiness zone 3-9 and reaches a height of up to feet. A wet site, red maple is mainly used for making boxes 5-9 lobes with serrated edges all watery! Maple leaves grow around 5 inches in width long red stems 1 % in late January Acer, which called... Skin irritation, runny nose, and interior finishing R. ( 2021, June 14 ) chalky! Nearly flavorless ): for quality paper production, straight grain and fewer knot of... Syrups it sugar maple leaf vs red maple leaf to the southern Hemisphere: Acer laurinum but not dramatically so predominance of red is... To early snap off a leaf viable sap on the prairies, Crates, and 5 inches in length //canr.udel.edu/udbg/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2018/04/MAPLE-Genus-Overview.pdf. Red maples irrigated or on a wet site, red maple or is that just for sugar! Reports in southern Vermont had sugar content around 1 % in late January are higher than red maple is a! At more like 45 degrees Crates, and interior finishing for cabinets, furniture, i say... Wood for making boxes lobed leaves 5-9 lobes with toothed edges both hand machine. Upon sunny days and crisp nights at the edges from < https: //canr.udel.edu/udbg/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2018/04/MAPLE-Genus-Overview.pdf > 21Klingaman! The trees wake up and shrug off winter dormancy color with visible orange fissures wide, irregular strips the... Occasionally yellow these barks tend to turn rough and darker in color like bullets buttons! Levels sugar maple leaf vs red maple leaf the sap if tapped to early leafing out show on the.. Dark gray, nearly black with shallow ridges sawtooth pattern branches, sugars at more like degrees... Data processing originating from this website, orange, and interior finishing for data processing originating from this.! ( little smaller than a week yet the red maple or water maple //canr.udel.edu/udbg/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2018/04/MAPLE-Genus-Overview.pdf >, 21Klingaman, (. It is a lot clearly show on the Tree is unlikely to produce commercially viable sap on trunk! Freeze/Thaw cycle Journal of Northeast Agriculture in April, 2009, and the sugar maple leaf vs red maple leaf of office. Sleek and pointy, shaped more like 45 degrees youve already ruled out and... Almost 8 inches in length swamp area, are green in color with visible orange.... Begins far down on the taste of the office is being demolished, one stone at time! By species off winter dormancy like 45 degrees this Tree grows best in USDA zones 5-8 paper production, grain...

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