SCIENTIFIC NAME: Acer rubrum

COMMON NAME: red maple

LEAVES: Opposite. 3 lobed mostly with some cultivars and varieties 5 lobed. Red petiole. Terminal lobe widest at the base and serrated to the base. Sometimes undersides of leaves silver.

Click here to see chart of 16 maple leaves.

FLOWERS: Red. Small. Blooms before leaves come out.

FRUIT: Double samara.

GROWTH RATE: 1.9'/yr. in our shade tree study.

BARK: Smooth on young tree.

OTHER: Excellent red fall color. Native to eastern U.S. Many cultivars used in the trade ("Autumn Flame", "October Glory", and "Franksred" ("Red Sunset" is the trade mark name of this cultivar) are popular in the south). Will grow from 60' to 80' tall. Lives up to 200 years. Will form a tap root on high/dry sites, but will also grow on low/moist sites. Can be moved up to 12" in caliper. There are some 5 lobed red maples. One of the popular trees in the nursery industry. At the Woodruff Library on the Emory University Campus in Atlanta over 50 12@ caliper red maple were successfully planted illustrating that this species can be moved in large sizes.