It is also found on drier sites in mixed stands of other trees. Red maple is quick growing and makes a fair shade tree for light soils. Red maple is usually a medium-sized tree forty to sixty feet high and one to two feet in diameter, though it is sometimes larger. While widely distributed, it is short-lived and forms only a negligible part of commercial timber stands. Some varieties are cultivated for ornamental purposes.
Leaves turn brilliant red in autumn.
The flowers appear in dense clusters in early spring before the leaves, and, although small, are quite conspicuous because of their red color. The fruit consists of a pair of winged seeds or keys that germinate in the spring. The bark is smooth. It is light gray on young stems and dark gray and rough on old trees. The wood, which is known commercially as soft maple, is light brown, heavy, weak, and close grained.