Sugar Maple

The iconic deciduous tree of northeastern North American hardwood forests, slow-growing and long-lived, reaching 100 feet with a broadly pyramidal to rounded crown and a 39-foot spread. Famous for maple syrup production and brilliant fall color. Leaves are opposite, with deep, rounded lobes. Flowers are small, greenish-yellow, without petals, on thin pendulous stalks appearing before leaves in April. Bark becomes deeply furrowed with long, irregular thick plates. Fall color is brilliant yellow, burnt orange, and red, highly variable between individuals. Native from the Maritime provinces south through Ontario and Quebec to Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas.

Hardy to Zone 2a. Part shade. Slow growth. Adaptable drainage; pH 3.7 to 7.9. Prefers deep, rich, well-drained soils. Does best in regions with cool winters, moderate summers, and adequate spring moisture; struggles where summers are hot and dry. Medium maintenance. Tolerates heavy shade. Edibility rating 4 (syrup). Seven cultivars: 'Apollo' (columnar, 30 feet, Zone 4), 'Bonfire' (orange-red fall, 50 feet), 'John Pair' (dense, red fall, 25 to 30 feet, Zone 5), 'Legacy' (30 feet, Zone 4), 'Newton Sentry' (extremely upright columnar), 'Sweet Shadow' (deeply cut lobes, orange-red), and 'Temples Upright' (strong central leader, 50 to 60 feet). Nineteen diseases and eleven pests documented.