The wings of a sugar maple grow parallel to one another. The fruit are technically referred to as "samara," and may also be referred to as a "key." These fruits are sometimes referred to as "seeds." However, fruit is the correct designation, as the seeds are located inside the fleshy tissue of the sugar-maple fruit.
Full Answer
How can you tell a sugar maple from a regular Maple?
Some underdeveloped or stunted sugar maple leaves will have only three or four lobes. If you see a leaf with fewer than five lobes but suspect the tree is a sugar maple, look around and find other leaves, which may be better specimens. The leaves of the Silver maple ( Acer saccharinum) can be distinguished from those of the Sugar maple.
How many types of sugar maple trees are there?
There are many types of maple trees, but only one sugar maple. All maple trees produce sap which contains sugar, and most can be used to make syrup, but the sugar maple is considered the best for syrup production.
How many lobes does a sugar maple leaf have?
Sugar maple leaves are segmented into 5 lobes. There should be three large, main lobes and one smaller lobe on either side. The lobes are characterized by sharp teeth, and are connected by shallow, U-shaped notches. Some underdeveloped or stunted sugar maple leaves will have only three or four lobes.
What type of soil do sugar maple trees like?
Additionally, sugar maple trees will grow best in soil that is slightly acidic, with a pH level between 5.5 to 6.8 As you may suspect, the exact water needs of the sugar maple tree depends on how big it is at that stage of its life.
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How do you tell if a maple tree is a sugar maple?
0:271:52How to identify a sugar maple tree for tapping - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipTo know if you have a sugar maple. Look at the leaf if the cleft between your lobes is a u-shape seeMoreTo know if you have a sugar maple. Look at the leaf if the cleft between your lobes is a u-shape see that and if your edges of your leaf are nice and smooth. Then you have a sugar maple.
How can you tell the difference between a sugar maple and a silver maple?
Silver and sugar maple are easy to tell apart by leaf, buds, and growth habit. There only slight overlap in habitat: silver maple usually grows closer to water and sugar maple on well-drained sites.
Do all maple trees have helicopters?
Richardson, Duke University. More commonly referred to as “helicopters,” “whirlers,” “twisters” or “whirligigs,” samaras are the winged seeds produced by maple trees. All maples produce samaras, but red, silver and Norway maples often produce the largest quantities.
What are some fun facts about sugar maple trees?
5 Interesting Facts About Sugar MaplesSugar Maples Don't Produce as Much Syrup as You Think. ... Sugar Maples Are Highly Adaptable. ... Sugar Maples Are Best Pruned in August. ... Sugar Maples Attract Wildlife. ... Sugar Maples Can Live for 300 Years.
How can you identify a sugar maple tree without leaves?
0:154:51Tree ID: Sugar Maple in the Winter - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd see these plates of bark they're actually quite stiff and if you rub your hand over them theyMoreAnd see these plates of bark they're actually quite stiff and if you rub your hand over them they don't flake off if that was a red maple you'd get all kinds of bark chips flaking off.
Can you tap any maple tree to make syrup?
Maple syrup can be made from any species of maple tree. Trees that can be tapped include: sugar, black, red and silver maple and box elder trees. Of all the maples, the highest concentration of sugar is found in the sap of the sugar maple.
What maples have no helicopters?
Planting Maple Trees That Don't Produce Helicopter SeedsFirefall maple (zones 3-7): A cherry-red maple that can endure ice, snow, and harsh wind.Celebration maple (zones 3-8): A tree with bright orange and yellow fall leaves that can deal with drought, frost, and storms.More items...•
Do maple trees drop helicopters every year?
Maple Helicopter Factories They produce paired samaras that grow to 2 inches long. These mature and fall once a year, in late spring.
How long do maple trees drop helicopters?
Red maple -in late spring or early summer and fall. Sugar maple – The samaras have 1-inch wings that ripen from early summer into autumn. About two weeks after samaras mature, sugar maples drop them.
What eats a sugar maple tree?
White-tailed deer, moose, porcupine, squirrels and snowshoe hare commonly eat the bark, twigs, or fruit of the sugar maple. Songbirds, woodpeckers, and cavity nesters use the sugar maple as a home.
How long do sugar maple trees live?
300 to 400 yearsSugar maple is long-lived and plants can survive for 300 to 400 years [30].
What is so special about maple trees?
Sugar, Black, and Red maples are the trees that are important for maple syrup production. In a balanced, healthy productive sugarbush an ideal number of maples would be approximately 70 per acre. Maple trees can live to 200 years and beyond and have been tapped for 150 years or more.
How do you identify a silver maple?
Silver maples can be identified by their bark as it is fairly distinct. Older trees will have a grayish bark that will flake off to reveal brown spots. Also, broken twigs will have an unpleasant odor to them.
How can I tell what kind of maple tree I have?
How to Identify Maple TreesIdentify maple trees by their leaves: Maple tree leaves usually have three or five pointed lobes. ... Identify maple trees by their bark: Maple tree bark is generally gray-brown to reddish-brown. ... Sugar maple trees have dark green leaves that turn red, orange, or yellow in the fall.More items...
How can you tell the difference between maples?
0:372:49Tree ID: Sugar Maple vs. Red Maple - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo those serrated edges it's the red maple. Another thing you can notice is the red maple has a redMoreSo those serrated edges it's the red maple. Another thing you can notice is the red maple has a red stem on the leaf. And the sugar maple. If you can see in the light.
What do silver maples look like?
Features 3–6" leaves with 5 lobes separated by notably deep, narrow sinuses. Green on top and silvery underneath through spring and summer, they turn a pale yellow in the fall. Produces red, yellow and silver clusters of small flowers in early spring. Yields pairs of winged seed over 3" long that ripen in late spring.
What Are Maple Copters, Anyway?
First, the technical term for this winged seed is samara, which refers to a specialized fruit that is designed to travel long distances from the pa...
A Natural Lesson in Aerodynamics
Maple seeds are one of those natural wonders that feature a nearly perfect design. In fact, scientists are using what they’re learning from these f...
Wings Aren’T Just For Flight
The wings give maple seeds another huge advantage. Once a maple seed lands, the wing helps it stand upright between blades of grass or other foliag...
Writer and hiker Mark Mikolas's guide fulfills the need for an easy resource beginners can use to recognize the trees they encounter
Writer and hiker Mark Mikolas's guide fulfills the need for an easy resource beginners can use to recognize the trees they encounter.
Red Maple
Red maple is called red because its twigs, buds, and flowers are all red, and its leaves turn a flaming red in the fall–in fact, its leaves are among the earliest in the fall to start turning.
Swamp Maple
If you see opposite branching on a tree and it is growing in a swamp, lowland, or right next to water, then you know it is a red maple. Red maple is also known as swamp maple because it can thrive in wet areas, while sugar maple cannont tolerate these conditions.
Sugar Maple
Sugar maple is the second most common tree in the Northeast. Its average life span is 300 years, and it can live up to 500 years. This means that many large mature trees populate our region. Some areas of the Northeastern forest are primarily composed of sugar maples. With the trees in close proximity, it is easy to tap them for their sap.
How To Tell Red Maple From Sugar Maple
It is not easy to tell red maple from sugar maple. As Chuck Wosster writes in Northern Woodlands magazine, “telling red maple from sugar maple can vex even seasoned botanists on occasion.” That said, there are a number of keys that help distinguish the two maples
What is sugar maple known for?
Common Pests and Diseases. Back to Top. Sugar maple trees are well-known for the liquid gold that resides inside them: sap. Theirs is especially high in sugar content, which means not as much of it is needed in order to create maple syrup.
What soil do sugar maples like?
While sugar maple trees can thrive in a variety of different soil conditions, they'll do best in a mixture that is rich in organic matter, well-drained, and very deep. Because the tree will eventually get very large, it's important to plant it in a spot that will allow its roots to grow uninhibited—you should be wary of nearby sidewalks, home foundations, and driveways. Additionally, sugar maple trees will grow best in soil that is slightly acidic, with a pH level between 5.5 to 6.8
How many taps of maple sap are there?
In general, you can expect an average of 10 gallons per tap, and a tree can have up to three taps depending on the trunk diameter. It usually takes up to 50 gallons of sugar maple sap (depending on sugar content) to make one gallon of syrup.
How old does a sugar maple tree need to be to make syrup?
If you've hoping to grow a sugar maple tree from infancy, you will need lots of patience—the varietal takes decades to reach maturity and likely won't be tapped for syrup until it reaches 30 or 40 years of age. Still, there is plenty to enjoy between now and then—care for your maple tree properly, and you'll have an heirloom specimen that will lend beauty to your landscape for centuries to come.
How cold does it have to be to grow sugar maple?
The trees are best planted during the cool weather of the fall or winter, and the successful harvesting of sap relies on an oscillating climate of cold nights (around 20 degrees Fahrenheit) and warmer days (around 40 degrees Fahrenheit) in late winter/early spring. This rise and fall in temperature creates internal pressure within the tree that causes the sap to flow.
What is the color of the sugar maple tree?
Anyone who has ever taken a ride through New England in the fall has probably caught a glimpse of the spectacular orange and red shades of the sugar maple tree. The towering titan provides excellent shade year-round and is beloved not only for its sprawling canopy (which is a vibrant green throughout the rest of the year), ...
Can sugar maple trees grow in shade?
Because they are often the largest specimen in the landscape (or will eventually be), it's unlikely that they will remain in partial shade for long unless they're in a forest environment.
How big are maple keys?
They turn yellowish or brown in the fall; flowers are densely clustered; maple keys are very large, with wings up to 5 cm long .
What color are maple key leaves?
Medium-sized, dense-crowned tree; leaves have three lobes and are long-stalked, the blades are hairy beneath, and turn orange or yellow-brown in the fall; yellowish-green flowers grow in hanging clusters; maple key wings are only slightly angled.
How tall are maple trees in Canada?
Maples found in Canada range from trees 40 metres or more tall (e.g., bigleaf maple, Acer macrophyllum) to shrubs less than 10 metres high (e.g. vine maple, Acer circinatum, and mountain maple, A. spicatum ). Maples are generally deciduous, with light-coloured, straight-grained wood. The leaves grow in pairs opposite one another at the stem nodes. The leafstalks are long and slender, and the blades palmately veined, meaning each has several main veins, all extending from the same point at the base of the leaf. While most maple leaves are single-bladed, with three to nine pointed lobes, the Manitoba maple ( Acer negundo) has compound leaves, with three to nine leaflets arranged along a central stalk.
How many lobes does a maple leaf have?
Vine maple leaves have seven to nine lobes and turn bright red or yellow in the fall. (photo by Nancy J. Turner) Vine maple leaves have seven to nine lobes and turn bright red or yellow in the fall. Maples are famous for their brilliant fall colours.
What is the maple leaf on the Canadian flag?
The Canadian flag displays a stylized maple leaf, and maple is Canada’s official arboreal emblem. Maples are not only important to Canada symbolically, they are also ecologically and economically significant. Douglas maple leaves have three to five lobes and their maple keys are paired in a V-shape.
What color are big leaf maple leaves?
Bigleaf maple leaves are large and dark green, turning golden yellow in the fall. (photo by Nancy J. Turner) Bigleaf maple leaves are large and dark green, turning golden yellow in the fall. Bigleaf Maple Flowers. Bigleaf maple flowers are yellowish in colour and grown in drooping clusters.
Where do Acer maple trees grow?
Of the 125 Acer species found worldwide, over two-thirds grow in China; 10 are native to Canada, and others are grown as ornamentals, with some (such as Norway maple, A. platanoides ), becoming naturalized in parts of Canada. Maples grow in a range of habitats and at varying altitudes but prefer deep, moist, fertile soils. They are a major constituent of many temperate forests.
When do sugar maples drop?
About two weeks after samaras mature, sugar maples drop them. Now that you know more about the maple’s flying seeds, you’ll be even more fascinated by the hundreds of them you see swirling towards the ground each year.
Why do maple trees skip a year?
Maple trees that are healthy sometimes skip a year in seed formation, either due to poor pollination or to an exceptionally good growing season the year before. An over-abundance of samaras sometimes means the tree experienced some sort of “stress” the previous year, so producing a bumper crop of seeds is the tree’s way of carrying on the species, should that stress continue and that particular tree not survive.
Why Do Maple Seeds Fly?
That means for a seedling to grow, the seed can’t simply fall to the ground beneath the tree like a nut or a fruit. And, since only a few animals eat the seeds – mostly turkeys, finches and on rare occasions, squirrels and chipmunks – there is very little chance that wildlife will pick up the seeds and carry them elsewhere. To get around these obstacles, maples developed winged samaras as a way to transport their fruit to sunnier, more hospitable places.
How does maple seed spin?
When the seed spins, the air moving over the wide end of the wing moves faster than the air closer to the seed, which gives the seed the lift it needs to stay aloft. Then there are the veins on the leading edge of the wing, which generate just enough turbulence to help it cut through the air.
What is the vortex of maple seeds?
That vortex lowers the pressure above the seed, generating even more lift . Insects and hummingbirds rely on the same kind of vortex to hover in one spot.
When do sugar maples mature?
Like the silver maple, they mature in late spring or early summer and fall, often blown off by the wind. One of the most beloved of the maple family, sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is the national tree of Canada and is tapped for its sweet sap. It thrives in USDA zones 3 through 8.
What are the fruits of maple trees called?
The fruits of maple trees (Acer spp.) are called samaras, but kids of all ages call them helicopters. Each seed has its own little "wings" that allow it to spiral downward and plant itself in the soil below. Maples aren't the only species that produce samaras, but their helicopters fly best, by far. While the soaring samaras are only one of many ...
What is the color of maple leaves?
Red maple (Acer rubrum) is another type of maple tree that thrives in USDA zones 3 through 9. It gets its common name from the red hue of its new growth, flowers, fruit and fall color of leaves. Individual trees may be male or female, and only the latter bears flowers. The female flowers then develop paired samaras arranged in drooping umbels. Each samara is 3/4 to 1 inch long and may be yellow, red or brown. Like the silver maple, they mature in late spring or early summer and fall, often blown off by the wind.
What is the seed of a silver maple tree?
Many maple trees produce samaras, and the seed of each species is slightly different. The silver maple (Acer saccharinum) thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9 and gets its common name from the gray undersides of its leaves.
What is the name of the maple tree that produces samaras?
Many maple trees produce samaras, and the seed of each species is slightly different. The silver maple (Acer saccharinum) thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9 and gets its common name from the gray undersides of its leaves. Its flowers are greenish-yellow and bloom in early spring. They produce paired samaras that grow to 2 inches long. These mature and fall once a year, in late spring.
When do maple trees bloom?
Its flowers are greenish-yellow and bloom in early spring. They produce paired samaras that grow to 2 inches long. These mature and fall once a year, in late spring. Red maple (Acer rubrum) is another type of maple tree that thrives in USDA zones 3 through 9.
Do maple trees fly?
The fact that maple tree seeds fly though the air like little helicopter wings is cool, but the closer you look, the more amazing the design appears. In terms of aerodynamics, the setup is so nearly ideal that it has been the model for scientists developing small flying machines.
Description
- Maples found in Canada range from trees 40 metres or more tall (e.g., bigleaf maple, Acer macrophyllum) to shrubs less than 10 metres high (e.g. vine maple, Acer circinatum, and mountain maple, A. spicatum). Maples are generally deciduous, with light-coloured, straight-grained wood. The leaves grow in pairs opposite one another at the stem nodes. T...
Distribution and Habitat
- Of the 125 Acer species found worldwide, over two-thirds grow in China; 10 are native to Canada, and others are grown as ornamentals, with some (such as Norway maple, A. platanoides), becoming naturalized in parts of Canada. Maples grow in a range of habitats and at varying altitudes but prefer deep, moist, fertile soils. They are a major constituent of many temperate for…
Wildlife
- Maples are important food sources for wildlife; the flower nectar and pollen is sought by bees, flies and other insects. Hummingbirds and other birds also like maple flower nectar. Maple fruits and seeds are eaten by birds, squirrels, chipmunks and mice, and the young twigs and leaves are eaten by deer and moose.
Indigenous Peoples
- Maples are well known to Indigenous peoples in Canada, and are named in many Indigenous languages. While all maple tree sap contains sugar, the sap of the sugar maple has the highest concentration. It has been used by virtually all Indigenous peoples within the tree’s range, being rendered into syrup and sugar by Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet), Mi’kma…
Uses
- Canada is the leading producer of maple syrup and other maple food products in the world, with 90 per cent of Canadian maple syrup production coming from Quebec(as of early 2018). The hard, fine-grained wood of the larger Canadian maples is widely used for manufacturing furniture, flooring, and interior woodwork, as well as for bowls, toys, musical instruments, plywood and ve…
Threats
- Climate change, resulting in warmer, drier weather overall, is perhaps the greatest threat to Canadian maples. As well, insect pests such as the introduced Asian Long-Horn Beetle, have caused significant damage to maples.