Sugar Maple (Rock Maple, Hard Maple)
Acer saccharum · Sapindaceae (Soapberry family, traditionally placed in Aceraceae)
AI-generated identification · may be incorrect
Leaf Morphology
Leaf Type
Simple, deciduous
Shape
Palmately lobed with 5 distinct lobes
Margin
Entire to sparsely toothed along the smooth-sinused lobes
Arrangement
Opposite
Venation
Palmate venation with five primary veins radiating from the base, prominent midribs for each lobe.
Key Features
Opposite leaf arrangement, 5-lobed leaves with deep, U-shaped (rounded) sinuses, and smooth margins compared to the sharp teeth of the similar Norway maple.
Description
The Sugar Maple is a majestic deciduous tree known for its dense crown, valuable hard timber, and brilliant fall foliage in shades of orange, yellow, and red. The leaves are characteristically palmately lobed with rounded sinuses separating the sharp-pointed lobes.
Habitat
Rich, moist, well-drained upland soils of deciduous and mixed hardwood forests.
Native Range
Native to hardwood forests of eastern and middle North America, stretching from Nova Scotia west to Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas.