Plant Guide > Trees > Maples

Maples

MaplesFAMILY ACERACEAE

Genus ACER, Linn.

Trees valuable for timber and ornament. Leaves simple (except Negundo), opposite, palmately veined and lobed, deciduous. Flowers inconspicuous, racemed or in corymbs. Fruits paired, winged samaras.

Opposite leaves palmately veined and lobed, and paired keys with long wings-these characters are the hallmark of the maple family the world over.

No amount of "improvement" blots these out of the most ultra new variety. No other tree has both leaves and fruits likely to be confused with a maple's.

The genus Acer comprises between sixty and seventy species, well scattered over the Northern Hemisphere. China and Japan are the original home and the centre of population for them, having about thirty native maples. Twelve species are found in the Himalayas, and twelve in Europe and Asia Minor.

Nine are native to North America. Of these, two are on the Pacific coast, one among the Rocky Mountains, five in the eastern half of the continent, and there is one species "at large."






Black Maple or Black Sugar Maple Tree
Box Elder or Ash Leaved Maple Tree
Broad Leaved Maple or Oregon Maple Tree
Dwarf Maple Tree
Florida Maple Tree
Large Toothed Maple Tree
Mountain Maple Tree
Norway Maple Tree
Red Maple or Scarlet Maple Tree
Silver Maple or Soft Maple Tree
Striped Maple or Moosewood Tree
Sugar Maple or Rock Maple Tree
Sycamore Maple Tree
Vine Maple Tree