Other common names:
Hard Maple, Rock Maple French names:
Érable ŕ sucre Family: Soapberry Family (Sapindaceae), (Maple Family (Aceraceae)) Group: Maples Distinctive features: Tree Similar species: • Black Maple (Acer nigrum) - droopy leaves. • Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) - leaf stalks exude milky sap when broken. •
Red Maple (Acer rubrum) - leaves are more toothed. Flowers: Spring Leaves: Opposite/Whorled, Simple, Toothed Habitat: Forests, Fields and Open Areas; Forests, open areas. Edible:
Sap is edible.
Books: Trees in Canada: 134 Native/Non-native:
Native Status:
Very common.
Notes:
These are the famous "maple syrup" trees. A Sugar Maple leaf graces the Canadian flag.
For more information visit: Ontario Trees and Shrubs Photographs:
239 photographs available, of which 6 are featured on this page. SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOGRAPHS.
Range Map is at the bottom of the page
Here is a very old Sugar Maple tree, probably more than 100 years old.
The bark of Sugar Maple is distinctive in that it peels into thick vertical strips, attached at one side, lifting free on the other.
This is the trunk of that ancient Sugar Maple pictured at the top of this page.
Flowers, in May.
A Sugar Maple leaf.
Norway Maple leaves are very similar to Sugar Maple. Many tree ID beginners get the two trees mixed up. Here they are pictured together for comparison. The Sugar Maple leaf is on the bottom. Note that the Norway Maple leaf has more points. The quick and easy way to tell them apart is that Norway Maple have milky sap. This is easily seen by breaking a leaf stalk.
PLEASE NOTE: A coloured Province or State means this species occurs somewhere in that Province/State.
The entire Province/State is coloured, regardless of where in that Province/State it occurs.
(Range map provided courtesy of the USDA website
and is displayed here in accordance with their
Policies)
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