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7 Interesting Facts About Red Maple Trees

Introduction

The Red Maple tree is a famous, deciduous tree (which means it loses its leaves in autumn every year) in the United States.

In some places, it is also called scarlet maple or swamp maple. These trees look gorgeous, but they are also pretty useful.

The sap from the tree is often used to make maple syrup, which is a popular breakfast item in the US.

Coming from the Acer genus, this tree is one of the species out of more than 120 maple tree species. Its leaves are pretty famous and mark the onset of autumn in most places across the world.

Basic Information 

• Name: Red Maple Tree
• Latin name: Acer rubrum
• Genus: Acer
• Family: Sapindaceae
• Description: 
  • Height: Red maple trees are quick growers. They have tall and thick grey trunks, and they can reach heights of 90 to 100 feet when they mature. 
  • Crown: Their crown is spread out about 20 feet or so, and their appearance is impressive. 
  • Foliage: Their leaves are triangular-looking and often appear red in the autumn. The primary leaf color is green, which bleeds into red in the fall. 

• Habitat and Distribution: Its natural habitat is the Northern American continent. Red maple trees are found widely in several parts of the USA and North America. You will mostly find them next to the Mississippi River, Florida, etc.
• Cultivation: You can cultivate a red maple tree in wet places. The soil has to be well-drained and moist for it to grow well. As for the climatic conditions, need bright to partial sunlight to grow well and do good in a medium climate – not too hot or too cold.
• Uses: 
  • The sap of the red maple tree is used to make syrup, even though this syrup is not as famous or sweet as the sugar maple syrup. 
  • The tree’s wood can also be used for crafting furniture, boxes, and instruments.
  • Red maple is a medium-quality wood that can be used for firewood. 
  • Many animals, such as elk, deer, etc., have red maple leaves as food.
  • Red maples are also used in bonsai gardening.

• Red Maple Tree Care

Many insects and moths such as the gypsy moth or red maple spanworm may damage the tree and feed on it. Many scale insects also live within the red maple tree. Apart from these insects and moths, the tree might also be affected by rot, fungi, or trunk issues. Branches of the red maple tree might sometimes grow through the crown and not be fixed to the trunk properly. These branches need to be removed as soon as possible, or they might fall, especially during storms. 

It would help if you kept pruning the branches to give the tree a proper shape. If your tree’s branches are growing more than half the diameter of the trunk, then you need to trim them. Do not prune these trees in the spring. You can cut them in early autumn or summer. Also, older trees cannot endure as much pruning as the younger ones can. Additionally, a red maple tree cannot stand drought or fire, so ensure that you can avoid these conditions for the red maple to grow well. 

• Allergenic Potential 
  • The red maple tree has a medium allergenic potential. The allergenic potential of the tree depends on the respective cultivars (a variety of the red maple tree, cultivated by people). Male cultivars are more allergenic than female ones. For instance, the following male cultivars have a higher allergenic potential:
    • Autumn spire
    • Autumn flame
    • Column
    • Karpick
    • Northwood
    • Sun valley
    • Tilford, etc.
  • The following are the female cultivars that do not cause many allergies
    • Embers
    • Festival
    • October Glory
    • Red skin
    • Red sunset
    • Doric
    • Bowhall
    • Autumn glory, etc.

7 Interesting Facts About Red Maple Trees

1. Just one red maple tree can produce more than a million seeds every year!

Red maple trees produce a ton of seeds every year. The seed output also depends on how big the tree is. The bigger the tree, the more seeds are produced. Usually, one red maple tree can have any number of seeds between thousand to a million seeds every year.

2. A healthy maple tree can live for more than 100 years.

Red maple trees live for a long time. Often, their lifespan is more than a century. However, some maple trees are even more than 150 years old.

3. An enormous red maple tree is in Michigan, US.

Because they are native to the US, the country has a lot of maple trees. A giant maple tree in the US is found in Armada in Michigan. It is more than 125 feet in height.

4. The red maple tree is honored as the ‘state tree’ of a US state.

The red maple tree belongs to the North American part of the continent and is found in abundance in the USA. It is so popular among the citizens that it has been the ‘state tree’ of the state of Rhode Island in the USA.

5. Maple leaves can grow up to 5 inches in size.

When red maple trees are small, they are only about an inch or so. But the leaves of a grown red maple tree are pretty long and can grow as long as 5 inches.

6. Red maple tree seeds are tiny and have wings so they can fly in the wind!

Red maple tree seeds are unique. Maple seeds are tiny, but the red maple trees have the smallest seeds of them. These seeds are shaped like a pair of wings, and this structure is called a ‘samara’. The samara-shaped design helps the seed to fly in the air like the way helicopters do, with its wings.

7. Red Maple trees are extensive and extremely tall.

On average, red maple trees are around 100 feet tall. Some maple trees can even reach as tall as 135 feet under favorable conditions. Not only that, but it horizontally grows roots. Even its roots can be as comprehensive as 80 feet. The trunk of a red maple tree is as thick as 35 inches, and if it is allowed to, it can grow as wide as 65 to 70 inches in diameter!

Conclusion

Red maple trees are beautiful, lush, and fascinating trees. Its leaves are bright and uniquely shaped. You will spot some red maple trees planted to decorate a place or make it more attractive. These are often planted near highways or parking lots in urban areas to beautify a place. They do not have a forceful root system, so they will not grow out of concrete or rebel by peeking outside. This is also a reason why they are planted in urban spaces. Red maple trees have many uses too, and we hope you appreciate their beauty in autumn when they are decked up in full beauty!