Red Maple
Acer rubrum
Plant Family: Sapindaceae
Leaves: The familiar maple leaf; opposite, simple, lightly toothed, with 3 to 5 pointed lobes, green above, lighter beneath, to 15 cm, although many leaves are smaller; turning red or yellow in the fall.
Bark: Light to dark gray, smooth on younger trees, fissured to blocky on older specimens.
Flowers: Small, red, lacking petals; appearing from winter to early spring before the leaves.
Fruits: The paired seeds with wings are called samaras and are found in spring.
Habitat: Moist to swampy soils, where it may grow quite rapidly.
Growth Form: Small to medium-sized tree.
Similar Species: Red maple is the only maple species found in south Florida.
Comments: Uncommon in the Everglades and not found on the Keys. Red Maple is one of the most widespread trees in eastern North America, ranging from south Florida west to the Mississippi drainage and north into southern Canada and New England. It often grows in pure stands in swamps further north and its presence here is a wonderful example of certain trees with a more northerly distribution that manage to exist in south Florida. Red Maple is the state tree of Rhode Island.
