![]() ![]() Sugar maples, so named because of the high concentration of sugar in their sap, grow even bigger than red maples, 60-80 feet, and naturally occur in rich, moist soils in uplands and valleys. Sugar MaplesĪnd then there are the sugars. ![]() The sugar maple leaf: five lobes, smooth edges, turns a variety of colors in fall. I was able to find leaves around the base of my reds as proof that I had squinted effectively. Most of the leaves are far enough up in the air that I have to squint to see them. And they have a saw-toothed, jagged edge to them with not a smooth curve anywhere that’s the giveaway for me. They tend to look 3 lobed rather than 5 lobed (lobes are the sections of the leaf), although technical definitions allow for both. The leaves of a red maple are from 2 to 6 inches wide. So, as it happens, for us, at least, there’s a little good news to take with the bad. Science suggests they will fare well despite our warming climate. So, even for us amateur makers, it’s worth knowing your reds, even if you have plenty of sugars. Red maples will tolerate a wider range of conditions than the sugar maple, including variations in the climate. The red maple leaf: three lobes, saw-tooth edges, turns red in fall. Presumably, red maples get their name either from the scarlet color they turn in the fall, the color of the winged seeds they produce in the springtime, or both. Red maples are hearty trees that grow to 50-70 feet tall. ![]() Red maples are also called “swamp maples.” They live in swamps, bottomlands and uplands in moist soils. And reds are what we have near the house. That means it takes a bit more work to boil down to syrup, but the syrup tastes just the same. The sugar content of the sap is lower than with sugar maples. We make maple syrup with mostly red maples. So, grab a tape measure and some marking tape, and take a moment in the trees. Time to identify your maple trees!įall is a great time for you to make good on your goal of identifying some maples (or some more maples) for your DIY maple syrup-making operation.ĭid you know? You can make maple syrup from any tree in the maple family that is 10 inches in diameter at chest height. We can join it, if only for a minute, with a walk among the trees. The leaves have started to turn, the air is crisp, and the world is letting out its annual sigh of relief. If you answered 'no' to both questions, it's probably a Sugar maple.Fall is just about here again. If yes, it may be a silver/water maple.Ģ) If, when you pluck a leaf off, does the leaf stem have white milky sap? If yes, it's likely a norway maple. If you want to double check, go out and check:ġ) if the underside of leaves still on the tree are dramatically lighter than the top. Norway maples and Sugar Maples can have VERY similar leaves, but Norway maples have milky sap in their leaf petioles when plucked off the tree. Red Maple leaves have a lot of fine irregular serration around the leaf edges. HOWEVER! Sugar Maple has smooth margins between the main points, and smooth u-shaped regions between lobe tips. Red Maple have a very similar leaf shape to Sugar Maple. (Though may have multi-trunks if it regrew from a stump when younger) and the underside of their leaf is only very slightly lighter than the top.īlack maples have petioles (the stems that connect the leaf to the twig) with very fine hairs, like fuzz. Sugar maples tend to have upright single trunks. Silver/Water maples have a silvery or pale pastel underside to their leaves (very dramatic color difference), and they tend to grow with multiple trunks connected at the base. Identifying maple trees purely from their leaf shape isn't always accurate - there are other ways to tell them apart. However, I also believe you have a sugar maple tree. ![]()
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