Red maple

Leaves

Form

• 3–5 lobes
• Sides of central lobe almost parallel to the midvein
• Central and lateral lobes separated by wide, shallow, angular notches   

Length

• 5–15 cm

Width

• Almost as wide as long

Colour

• Upper surface light green
• Lower surface whitened

Autumn colour

• Bright red

Margin

• Teeth sharp, irregular

Petiole

• 5–10 cm

Buds

Form

• Terminal bud present, smooth, shiny
• Flower buds stout

Length

• Terminal bud 3–4 mm, almost twice as long as wide

Colour

• Reddish

Twigs

Form

• Hairless
• Dwarf shoots bearing clusters of flower buds on most branches

Colour

• Shiny red to greyish-brown

Flowers

Form

• 5 very small petals and sepals
• In tassel-like clusters (racemes)
• Stalks slender

Structure

• Polygamo-monoecious

Floral timing

• Late winter, before the leaves appear
• One of the earliest maple species to flower

Fruits

Form

• Angle between wings about 60°
• Seedcase swollen
• Keys shed individually
• Mature in early summer

Length

• Wings 12–25 mm

Structure

• Samara
• In joined pairs

Bark

Form

• Smooth when young
• Developing scaly ridges fastened at the centre and loose at the ends

Colour

• Light grey when young, becoming dark greyish-brown

Wood

Texture

• Moderately heavy, hard, strong

Colour

• Light brown

Morphology

• Rays scarcely visible on a tangential face

Size

Height

• To 25 m

Diameter

• To 60 cm

Maximum age

• 100 years

Tree form

Forest-grown

Trunk

• Straight, often branch-free for half its height

Crown

• Short, narrow

Open-grown

Trunk

• Divides near the ground into a few ascending limbs
• Branches widely diverging and ascending

Crown

• Long, dense

Root system

• Shallow, wide-spreading

Habitat

Site

• Typically swamps and other moist soils
• Thrives on a variety of soils and sites

Light tolerance

• Moderately shade-tolerant

Range

Forests of eastern North America as far south as Florida