Red Maple
Acer rubrum (L.)
Other common names: Soft Maple, Scarlet Maple, Swamp Maple, White Maple, Water Maple
- Deciduous tree
- Up to 90 feet tall
- Likes rich, moist soil
Leaves - opposite, simple, with 3 to 5 sharp-pointed double-toothed lobes, base of notches between lobes v-shaped, leaf petioles reddish.
Buds - opposite, red.
Twigs - opposite, shiny, reddish at the tips.
Bark - gray to reddish-brown on young trees, turning darker gray with scaly plates as the trees mature.
Flowers - clusters of small red flowers appear in the spring before the tree gets it leaves.
Fruit - the fruit is called a samara. The samara is reddish and double-winged.
