Description:
Widely present in the Eastern United States, red maples are known for their brilliant red autumn foliage and bright red spring flowers. Red maples reach heights of up to 100ft in ideal conditions, and have growth habits that are strongly dependent on soil composition and plant competition. This species of maple is common from Florida to Nova Scotia, and from Minnesota to the Louisiana. The crown of the tree is generally ovoid, with little branching in densely forested areas. Red maple is both shade and moisture tolerant making it a common successional species in riparian areas.
Identification
Leaves: 3-5 palmate lobes, serrate edges, green with a whitish/greyish underside. Leaves are easily distinguished from Sugar maple in that the lobes are much shallower. Foliage becomes a brilliant red in the fall. Flowers: Red maple flowers in the early spring, prior to the full budding of leaves. Seeds: Two small samaras (whirligigs), occurring in clusters. Unlike most species of maple, the seeds ripen during the spring. Bark: Red maple bark is silver, with very little fissures when young. Mature specimens retain a grey color, but develop a platy structure. This differs from sugar maple, which has a smoother bark with deep fissures.
Shrinkage Ratio 2:1
Janka hardness 950 lbf
Dried Weight 38 lbs/ft3 (610 kg/m3)
Tangential Shrinkage 8.2%
Radial Shrinkage 4.0%
*Information in this table comes courtesy of wood-database.com
Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Forestry Corner