Trees of Alabama and the Southeast Home Page

Leaves are simple, opposite, and deciduous with 3-5 lobes.  Leaf margins are toothed, petioles are often red, and leaves turn bright orange-red in fall. Twigs are a shiny red with V-shaped leaf scars and blunt reddish-brown buds. Bark is smooth and ranges in color from brown gray to white, but becoming gray-brown, scaly and plated with age.  Flowers are bright red in spring and appear before the leaves.  Fruit is a scarlet double samara.  Red maple occurs on a very wide range of sites in the east and central U.S.   Intermediate shade tolerance.  Wood used for pallets and furniture.  Seeds eaten by birds and small animals.  A popular ornamental and many cultivars are available.
 

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All text and photographs are intended for educational purposes only and are not for commercial use in any form.  All photographs are copyrighted by the named photographer(s), text copyright by Lisa Samuelson. © 2005, all rights reserved. Photographs by Mike Hogan.