Flora of the Southeastern United States

Intro: A small to medium-sized, deciduous tree usually ranging from 15-25 m. (50-80 ft.) tall when mature. Bark is light gray and smooth on younger trees, becoming ridged and furrowed with age. Leaves are opposite and shallowly to deeply palmately lobed, with a few blunt teeth but no serrations. The leaf sinuses are rounded, unlike those of red maple (Acer rubrum) which are sharply V-shaped. Also, the sides of terminal leaf lobes are more or less parallel, while those of red maple are widest at the base, tapering to the tip. The leaf tips of southern sugar maple often droop. Fruits consist of two, winged samaras that split apart when mature, sometimes traveling long distances on the breeze as they spin to the ground. Southern sugar maple can be difficult to distinguish from its more northern relative, sugar maple (Acer saccharum), which is commonly planted in the North Carolina Piedmont. The leaves of southern sugar maple are usually somewhat smaller though, and the lower leaf surfaces typically hairy, while the larger leaves of sugar maple mostly lack hairs, or bear them only on the veins.

Stems: Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) gray or green or reddish-brown or tan, 1-2 mm wide, glabrous or pubescent, pilose. Twigs (2-4 years old) glabrous. Leaf scars U-shaped or V-shaped, bundle scars 3 per leaf scar, stipule scars absent. Bark of mature trunks furrowed or ridged or smooth. Buds axillary or terminal, brown or reddish-brown, (2-)3(-4) mm long, conic, blunt or sharp, pubescent, pilose, bud scales imbricate.

Leaves: Leaves deciduous, simple, petiolate, opposite or decussate, (3-)4-8(-9.5) cm long, (3.5-)4-8(-11) cm wide, orbiculate or ovate, leaf margins dentate, shallowly lobed or moderately lobed or deeply lobed, palmately lobed, leaf lobes 3-5 per leaf, leaf apices acuminate or acute or obtuse, leaf bases cordate or obtuse or rounded. Leaf upper surface green, glabrous or glabrate. Leaf lower surface gray or green or silver, glabrate or pubescent, hirsute or pilose. Leaf venation palmate. Petioles (2-)4-8 cm long, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent, pilose. Stipules present or absent, caducous.

Inforescence: Inflorescences terminal, corymbs or simple umbels, flowers stalked.

Flowers: Flowers bisexual or unisexual or pistillate or staminate. Perianth. Calyx radially symmetric, synsepalous. Sepals (4-)5(-12) per flower, calyx tubes 1.5-2.5(-4) mm long, green or red or yellow or yellow-green, sepal margins ciliate, sepal apices obtuse, pubescent, hirsute, persistent. Corolla absent. Androecium. Stamens 7-8 per flower, separate, anthers 1-1.5 mm long. Gynoecium. Ovaries superior, pistils 1 per flower. Gynoecium syncarpous, 2 carpels per flower, styles 2 per pistil, styles 1-2.5 mm long, stigmas 1.5-5 mm long, placentation axile. Other floral features. Hypanthia present.

Fruits: Fruits mericarps or samaras or schizocarps, (1.5-)2-2.5(-3) cm long, green or tan, fruit maturation 1 years.

Comments: Habitat bottomland forests or dry-mesic upland forests or mesic upland forests or mixed forest edges or suburban plantings. Sides of terminal leaf lobes are more or less parallel; leaf sinuses are rounded; tips of leaf lobes often droop.

Height: 50-80 ft.

plant sale text: Southern sugar maple is similar to northern sugar maple (Acer saccharum), which occurs in the mountains in North Carolina, but southern sugar maple is generally of smaller stature and is more heat-tolerant than its more northern counterpart. It occurs in rich bottomland forests and mesic woodlands throughout the southeastern United States. The fall foliage of southern sugar maple is a lovely yellow to orange color.

bloom table text:

description: A small to medium-sized, deciduous tree usually ranging from 15-25 m. (50-80 ft.) tall when mature. Bark is light gray and smooth on younger trees, becoming ridged and furrowed with age. Leaves are opposite and shallowly to deeply palmately lobed, with a few blunt teeth but no serrations. The leaf sinuses are rounded, unlike those of red maple (Acer rubrum) which are sharply V-shaped. Also, the sides of terminal leaf lobes are more or less parallel, while those of red maple are widest at the base, tapering to the tip. The leaf tips of southern sugar maple often droop. Fruits consist of two, winged samaras that split apart when mature, sometimes traveling long distances on the breeze as they spin to the ground. Southern sugar maple can be difficult to distinguish from its more northern relative, sugar maple (Acer saccharum), which is commonly planted in the North Carolina Piedmont. The leaves of southern sugar maple are usually somewhat smaller though, and the lower leaf surfaces typically hairy, while the larger leaves of sugar maple mostly lack hairs, or bear them only on the veins.

stems: Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) gray or green or reddish-brown or tan, 1-2 mm wide, glabrous or pubescent, pilose. Twigs (2-4 years old) glabrous. Leaf scars U-shaped or V-shaped, bundle scars 3 per leaf scar, stipule scars absent. Bark of mature trunks furrowed or ridged or smooth. Buds axillary or terminal, brown or reddish-brown, (2-)3(-4) mm long, conic, blunt or sharp, pubescent, pilose, bud scales imbricate.

leaves: Leaves deciduous, simple, petiolate, opposite or decussate, (3-)4-8(-9.5) cm long, (3.5-)4-8(-11) cm wide, orbiculate or ovate, leaf margins dentate, shallowly lobed or moderately lobed or deeply lobed, palmately lobed, leaf lobes 3-5 per leaf, leaf apices acuminate or acute or obtuse, leaf bases cordate or obtuse or rounded. Leaf upper surface green, glabrous or glabrate. Leaf lower surface gray or green or silver, glabrate or pubescent, hirsute or pilose. Leaf venation palmate. Petioles (2-)4-8 cm long, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent, pilose. Stipules present or absent, caducous.

inflorescence: Inflorescences terminal, corymbs or simple umbels, flowers stalked.

flowers: Flowers bisexual or unisexual or pistillate or staminate. Perianth. Calyx radially symmetric, synsepalous. Sepals (4-)5(-12) per flower, calyx tubes 1.5-2.5(-4) mm long, green or red or yellow or yellow-green, sepal margins ciliate, sepal apices obtuse, pubescent, hirsute, persistent. Corolla absent. Androecium. Stamens 7-8 per flower, separate, anthers 1-1.5 mm long. Gynoecium. Ovaries superior, pistils 1 per flower. Gynoecium syncarpous, 2 carpels per flower, styles 2 per pistil, styles 1-2.5 mm long, stigmas 1.5-5 mm long, placentation axile. Other floral features. Hypanthia present.

fruits: Fruits mericarps or samaras or schizocarps, (1.5-)2-2.5(-3) cm long, green or tan, fruit maturation 1 years.

comments: Habitat bottomland forests or dry-mesic upland forests or mesic upland forests or mixed forest edges or suburban plantings. Sides of terminal leaf lobes are more or less parallel; leaf sinuses are rounded; tips of leaf lobes often droop.

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range: southeastern United States