Specimen record

Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

Description

The iconic tree of New England's autumn, sugar maple produces the most spectacular fall foliage of any North American tree — rich yellows, oranges, and scarlets, often on a single tree. It is also the source of maple syrup, produced from sap collected in late winter. Sugar maple is a dominant canopy tree of rich, mesic upland forests across central Massachusetts. It is distinguished from red maple by its U-shaped leaf sinuses and more rounded lobes.

Identification tips

• 1Opposite leaves with 5 lobes and smooth, U-shaped sinuses (red maple has V-shaped sinuses)
• 2Leaf lobes with few coarse teeth, not finely serrated like red maple
• 3Bark on older trees develops long, shaggy, vertical plates
• 4Paired samaras with wings nearly parallel (red maple's wings diverge widely)
• 5Fall color yellow to orange to scarlet, often multiple colors on one tree