Trees of Alabama and the Southeast Home Page

Leaves are simple, opposite, deciduous, and 3-5 lobed with round sinuses, very pointed lobes and smooth margins.  Leaves turn bright orange-red in the fall.  Twigs are shiny, reddish-brown with V-shaped leaf scars. Buds are pointed and brown. Bark is brown-gray and smooth becoming furrowed, scaly, and plated on older trees.  Fruit is a reddish-brown double samara.  Sugar maple grows on moist, well-drained soils in the eastern and central U.S., and is found in the southern Appalachians.  This tree is very tolerant of shade.  The wood is hard and close-grained and used for furniture, flooring and veneer.  Seeds are eaten by birds and small animals.  A popular ornamental for the fall color but it needs a moist, cool site.

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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.