Arkansas Tree Database

Scientific name:

Acer Saccharum

Size:

65' tall by 55' wide

Leaves:

opposite, simple, 3"-5" across, with 3 or 5 pointed and sparsely toothed lobes, with rounded indentations between lobes; medium green above and green not silvered beneath

Flowers:

small and greenish on long stems

Fruit:

winged nutlets in pairs

Fall Interest:

excellent yellow, orange, red; deciduous

Culture:

sun to partial sun; moist rich soil, slightly acidic; intolerant of heat or dry sites; slower growing than other maples

Disease/Insect:

Use:

excellent shade tree; valuable wood for flooring, furniture, and veneer; valuable bird's eye maple wood sometimes results when tree growing in adverse conditions develops closely spaced buds that then die off; best suited to northwest Arkansas

Cultivars:

'Legacy,' 'John Pair'

Notes:

bark gray and smooth on young trees and dark gray with deep furrows and long peeling ridges with age; has clear watery sap which is gathered in late winter to make maple syrup and sugar; Native Americans made medicinal tea from inner bark; native to eastern Canada and north central and northeastern US