Red Maple:

Scientific Name

Acer rubrum

Family

Sapindaceae

Description

Red maple is a large, handsome, native deciduous shade tree with a rounded crown and ascending branches.

Leaves are opposite, simple, 2–6 inches long, palmately veined with 3–5 principal triangular lobes, medium to dark green above and grayish beneath, edges irregularly and coarsely serrated; tip pointed, base with a 2–4 inch long red petiole, turning brilliant red, orange, and yellow in the fall.

Bark is light gray and smooth when young, becoming thick, dark gray, and separated by vertical ridges into large, plate-like scales on old trunks.

Twigs are slender, red, and shiny, featuring red buds with overlapping winter scales.

Flowers January–March, stalk short-stemmed and drooping, appearing in clusters before the leaves emerge; flowers small, red, and fragrant.

Fruits April–July, hanging in drooping clusters; fruit about ¾ inch long, a paired, "V" shaped, winged samara, colored red, pink, or yellow when immature, turning tan or brown at maturity.

Other Common Names

Red Maple

Size

Height: 40–120 ft.

Source: North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox