Acer saccharinum
Red maple is also used for the production of maple syrup, though the hard maples "Acer saccharum" (sugar maple) and "Acer nigrum" (black maple) are more commonly utilized. One study compared the sap and syrup from the sugar maple with those of the red maple, as well as those of the "Acer saccharinum" (silver maple), "Acer negundo" (boxelder), and "Acer platanoides" (Norway maple), and all were found to be equal in sweetness, flavor, and quality. However, the buds of red maple and other soft maples emerge much earlier in the spring than the sugar maple, and after sprouting chemical makeup of the sap changes, imparting an undesirable flavor to the syrup. This being the case, red maple can only be tapped for syrup before the buds emerge, making the season very short.