Black maple

Leaves

Form

• Appear wilted
• 3–5 lobes
• Central lobe tapered
• Central and lateral lobes separated by open, shallow notches
• Lower leaf surface has dense, velvety hairs

Colour

• Upper surface dark green
• Lower surface yellowish-green
• Hairs brownish

Autumn colour

• Yellow to brownish-yellow

Margin

• Teeth few, indistinct

Petiole

• 6–10 cm long

Buds

Form

• Terminal bud present
• Scales blunt, hairy

Colour

• Dark brown

Twigs

Form

• Hairless

Colour

• Dull

Flowers

Form

• Without petals
• 5 depals
• Drooping, tassel-like lateral (sometimes terminal) corymbs
• Stalks slender, hairy

Length

• Stalks 18–50 mm

Colour

• Sepals greenish-yellow

Structure

• Polygamo-monoecious

Floral timing

• Before the leaves

Fruits

Form

• Wings parallel or converging slightly 
• Stalk hairy, about same length as wings
• Paired fruits may separate when shed, leaving stalk on tree

Structure

• Samara
• In joined pairs

Bark

Form

• At first smooth
• Developing long, narrow, vertical, firm, irregular ridges
• Deeply furrowed
• Often scaly

Colour

• Dark grey

Wood

Texture

• Heavy, hard, strong

Colour

• Light yellowish-brown

Morphology

• Diffuse-porous
• Rays easily visible

Figure

• Often with a curly grain (bird’s-eye)

Uses

• Furniture, toys, cabinetwork, veneer, plywood, flooring
• Turned woodenware, cutting blocks

Size

Height

• To 35 m 

Diameter

• To 90 cm

Maximum age

• 200 years

Tree form

Forest-grown

Trunk

• Straight
• Often branch-free for two-thirds or more of height

Crown

• Narrow, round-topped

Root system

• Deep, wide-spreading

Habitat

Site

• Moist, fertile floodplains and bottomlands

Light tolerance

• Tolerates heavy shade for many years
• Grows normally when released by an opening in the canopy

Associated species

• Usually mixed with other broadleaf species, as well as eastern white pine and eastern hemlock

Range

Southern Ontario and Quebec