Sugar maple

Acer saccharum

Foliage Type:

leaf

Arrangement:

simple, opposite

Distinguishing features: leaves - 3" to 5" in diameter, usually palmately 5 lobed leaves - bright green above, paler below notches between lobes relatively shallow base of terminal lobe is wide bark - gray on young trees, darker broken bark on older trees deeply furrowed, with long, irregular, thick plates or ridges, sometimes scaly fruit - somewhat horseshoe-shaped with nearly parallel or slightly divergent wings

Habitats:	dry mesic sites mesic sites wet mesic sites
Often confused with:	Red maple Mountain maple
Ecological Value:	seeds eaten by birds and squirrels inner bark eaten by porcupine twigs eaten by rabbits, hares, deer, and moose
Did You Know?	Sugar maple sap is used to make syrup (32 gallons/1 gallon of syrup). sugar was used to make the first soft drink. seed germination is very high, 95%.
Uses / Ethnobotanical uses:	root bark used to treat gonorrhea American Indians used inner bark in tea for coughs, diarrhea, diuretic, expectorant, "blood purifier". syrup used for liver tonick and kidney cleanser, and used in cough syrups spring tonic (sap) Maple syrup sugar (32 gallons produce 8 pounds of sugar) - season food sugar - used as a base for medicines ornamental landscaping, shade furniture birdseye, curly, blister and plain lumber