Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)

Summary:

Foliage: Deciduous broadleaf

Height: 100 feet

Spread: 80 feet

Shape: Oval to round

Sugar maple is a medium/large shade tree with a no less than spectacular fall foliage display. There are many cultivars; cultivar characteristics include growth rate, form, and fall foliage color.

Plant Needs:

Zone: 3 to 8

Moisture: Moist to dry

pH Range: 3.7 to 6.5

Light: Partial shade to full sun

Soil Type: Sandy, loam, or clay loam

Functions:

Suggested uses for this plant include shade or specimen tree.

Planting Notes:

Does best when planted in location where it will have ample room to spread.

Care:

Requires little care when planted in proper location (well-drained, fertile, moist soil away from polluted city conditions).

Problems:

Leaf scorch (in excessive droughts) and Verticillium wilt can be a problem.

Susceptibility to gas and smoke damage makes sugar maple less suitable for city conditions than Norway and red maples.

Alternatives:

Consult local garden centers, historic or public gardens and arboreta regarding cultivars and related species that grow well in your area.

Cultivars of Acer saccharum:

BonfireTM is a fast-growing cultivar with bright orange/red fall foliage.

`Globosum' -- a dwarf, globe-shaped form (10 by 10 feet after 20 years) `Columnare'-- an upright columnar form

Green Mountain® -- tolerates heat and is scorch resistant. ‘Legacy’ is a fast-growing cultivar with a variable fall foliage color.

Comments:

The fire-red to yellow color of the sugar maple fall foliage is no less than spectacular. This species tends to have a solid symmetrical canopy which imparts a formal look.

The sap of this tree can be boiled down to produce maple syrup and sugar.

Mature sugar maples show a wide variation in form, but tend to have a broad, rounded head.

This material was developed by Carol Ness as part of the Interactive Design and Development Project funded by the Kellogg Foundation.