Soft Maple Acer rubrum
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Acer sanguineum
- Rufacer rubrum
- Phonetic Spelling
- AY-ser ROO-brum
- Description
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Red maple is a native, deciduous tree in the maple family (Sapindaceae). In nature, it can be found growing in upland deciduous forests, up to at least 1500 meters in elevation. The Genus name is Latin for maple tree. The specific epithet of rubrum means red as is evident in the flowers and fall leaves of this tree.
Red maple may grow to 120 feet tall with a trunk 6 feet in diameter but is more commonly 40 to 70 feet high and 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 feet across. It is a handsome shade tree with a rounded crown and ascending branches to a 30- to 50-foot spread. Red maple is easy to grow in average, medium to wet, well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. It is tolerant of a wide range of soils, including clay, but prefers moist, slightly acidic conditions. It is very cold hardy and grows fairly fast with tolerance to urban conditions.
The red maple has a slightly smaller leaf than most other species of maples and the margins are serrated. Small, red flowers in clusters mature in late winter followed by light brown or red-winged samaras. Early in the fall, the leaves turn an attractive red. Color may vary from tree to tree.
This tree is the best choice for a soft maple. It makes an excellent lawn, park, or street tree.
Fire Risk: This plant has a low flammability rating.
Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: In alkaline soils, it can develop manganese chlorosis. Watch for aphids, leafhoppers, borers, scale, and caterpillars. Also note that verticillium wilt attacks the vascular system and can be fatal. Canker, fungal leaf spot, and root rots may also occur. Wind and ice may break some branches. This tree has a shallow, flattened root system that may buckle nearby sidewalks or driveways if planted too close.
The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common maple diseases and insect pests.
VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Native Woodland Garden, Durham Mountain Ridge Top Garden - North Woods
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Armstrong'
Nearly columnar growth habit with tight branch crotches lending toward breakage - 'Armstrong Gold'
Columnar habit, dense, compact with improved fall color - 'Autumn Fantasy'
Rapid growth, good branch angles, consistent red fall color - 'Autumn Flame'
Male selection with abundant leaves that are smaller in size, excellent early scarlet fall color. - 'Autumn Radiance'
Good shade tree, consistent red in fall, intolerant of alkaline soil - 'Bowhall'
- 'Brandywine'
Male selection, intense and consistent fall color. - 'Burgandy Belle' or 'Magnificent Magenta'
- 'Embers'
- 'Franksred'
Outstanding orange to red fall color. - 'Karpick'
Male, narrow form (20 foot spread). Good yellow or red foliage. - 'October Glory'
Female, exceptional fall color. - 'Red Rocket'
columnar form, consistant red fall color - 'Red Sunset'
Good shade tree, early brilliant orange-scarlet fall color - 'Somerset'
23 ft tall, long-lasting red fall color - 'Summer Red'
35’-40′ tall, Emerges burgundy-red, yellow, orange, purple in fall - 'Sun Valley'
Male, smaller and more symetrical.
- 'Armstrong'
- 'Armstrong', 'Armstrong Gold', 'Autumn Fantasy', 'Autumn Flame', 'Autumn Radiance', 'Bowhall', 'Brandywine', 'Burgandy Belle' or 'Magnificent Magenta', 'Embers', 'Franksred', 'Karpick', 'October Glory', 'Red Rocket', 'Red Sunset', 'Somerset', 'Summer Red', 'Sun Valley'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Armstrong'
Nearly columnar growth habit with tight branch crotches lending toward breakage - 'Armstrong Gold'
Columnar habit, dense, compact with improved fall color - 'Autumn Fantasy'
Rapid growth, good branch angles, consistent red fall color - 'Autumn Flame'
Male selection with abundant leaves that are smaller in size, excellent early scarlet fall color. - 'Autumn Radiance'
Good shade tree, consistent red in fall, intolerant of alkaline soil - 'Bowhall'
- 'Brandywine'
Male selection, intense and consistent fall color. - 'Burgandy Belle' or 'Magnificent Magenta'
- 'Embers'
- 'Franksred'
Outstanding orange to red fall color. - 'Karpick'
Male, narrow form (20 foot spread). Good yellow or red foliage. - 'October Glory'
Female, exceptional fall color. - 'Red Rocket'
columnar form, consistant red fall color - 'Red Sunset'
Good shade tree, early brilliant orange-scarlet fall color - 'Somerset'
23 ft tall, long-lasting red fall color - 'Summer Red'
35’-40′ tall, Emerges burgundy-red, yellow, orange, purple in fall - 'Sun Valley'
Male, smaller and more symetrical.
- 'Armstrong'
- 'Armstrong', 'Armstrong Gold', 'Autumn Fantasy', 'Autumn Flame', 'Autumn Radiance', 'Bowhall', 'Brandywine', 'Burgandy Belle' or 'Magnificent Magenta', 'Embers', 'Franksred', 'Karpick', 'October Glory', 'Red Rocket', 'Red Sunset', 'Somerset', 'Summer Red', 'Sun Valley'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Acer
- Species:
- rubrum
- Family:
- Sapindaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Native Americans are known to have used parts of this tree as sweeteners, in food, and in medicine. The wood isused as pulpwood and in the manufacture of furniture and woodenware.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Root Cutting
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Newfoundland to Florida West to Minnesota Oklahoma and Texas.
- Distribution:
- throughout North Carolina.
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Bees are attracted to the early nectar source of the flowers. Members of the genus Acer support Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. Flower nectar attracts bees and other pollinators. Seeds are enjoyed by birds. The fruit, along with the buds, are a primary food source for gray squirrels in late winter and early spring. Sprouts are a favorite food for white-tailed deer, but this tree is moderately resistant to damage.
- Play Value:
- Attracts Pollinators
- Buffer
- Colorful
- Edible fruit
- Pieces Used in Games
- Screening
- Shade
- Wildlife Food Source
- Wind Break
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Resistant to fire in landscape. Tolerates wet soil occasionally.
- Edibility:
- The sap contains sugar and this can be used as a drink or be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water. The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. This species only yields about half the quantity obtained from the sugar maple (A. saccharum).
- Dimensions:
- Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 120 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Oval
- Pyramidal
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasional Flooding
- Occasionally Dry
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- more than 60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Red/Burgundy
- Variegated
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Samara
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The paired, winged, fruit is in a "V" shaped, red, pink, or yellow, winged samara about 3/4 of an inch long on drooping stems. They turn tan or brown when mature and drop from the plant. In North Carolina, the samaras are available from April to July.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Winter
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- The polygamous flowers grow in short-stemmed drooping clusters in springtime, before the leaves appear. In North Carolina, red maple flowers from January to March.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Orange
- Leaf Feel:
- Slippery
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Deltoid
- Palmatifid
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Palmately veined with 3-5 principal triangular lobes with the lower 2 being much smaller. Margins are irregularly and coarsely toothed, medium to dark green above, grayish beneath with hairy veins, petiole 2-4" long and red. Brilliant red, orange, and yellow colors show during fall. The leaves are 2 to 6 inches long and are somewhat broader than long.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Ridges
- Smooth
- Bark Description:
- Young bark is smooth and light gray. On old trunks, the bark is thick, dark gray and separated by vertical ridges into large, plate-like, scales.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Stems slender, red, and shiny. Buds are red. Winter buds have three or more scales that overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Recreational Play Area
- Riparian
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Children's Garden
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Native Garden
- Nighttime Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Rain Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Street Tree
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Moths
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Specialized Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Black Walnut
- Compaction
- Deer
- Drought
- Fire
- Heat
- Pollution
- Urban Conditions
- Wet Soil
- Problems:
- Problem for Horses
