Tree of the Week: Southern Sugar Maple (Acer barbatum)

There are three distinct maple enclaves in the arboretum. One such location is pictured above. This spot near the Student Union Building has great comparative value for our maples: you can easily examine 1) boxelder, 2) chalk, 3) red, and 4) southern sugar specimens. Last week we examined the boxelder. This week we are turning to the southern sugar.

There are four southern sugar maples (Acer barbatum) in the arboretum collection. You can see additional pictures of these individuals here and here.

Our tree of the week is pictured center. It was previously featured to highlight its shadiness. You can see evidence of that attribute and read about its history here. This week we are back, taking leaf and samara measurements. Hold on, little maple; this will only hurt a bit.

Southern sugar maple leaves are simple with a palmate shape. Leaf base measures 3 inches. Overall width measures closer to 4 inches.

Leaves are approximately 3 inches in length.

Petioles are long. This one measures more than 3 inches.

In mid-July, well-developed orange-colored fruits standout against the dark green foliage.

Specifically, the wings of the samaras make the fruits conspicuous. Each orange wing is attached to an enclosed seed. The bulbous seed coating is the same green color as the dorsal side of the leaf.

Underneath, leaves are pale green, verging on white. Note that the samaras are clustered together.

Each samara consists of one wing and one enclosed seed. Two seeds are fused together, making a pair.

Each samara is approximately an inch in length.

Each pair measures approximately 1½ inches across.

Samaras can help us differentiate among the maple species. Boxelder samaras are pictured on the left: these fruits appear in long, dangling chains, and in the middle of July, they are inconspicuously light green.