Acer saccharum Aceraceae Leaves are simple, opposite, deciduous, and 3-5 lobed with round sinuses, very pointed lobes and smooth margins. Leaves turn red in the fall. Buds are pointed and brown. Bark is brown-gray and smooth becoming furrowed, scaly, and plated on older trees.
Fruit is a reddish-brown double samara.
Sugar maple grows on moist, well-drained soils in the eastern and central U.S., and is found in the southern Appalachians in the southeast. Very tolerant of shade. Click on photo to enlarge. All text and photographs are intended for educational purposes only and are not for commercial use in any form. 1999, all rights reserved.