Plant Image Data Base                                         

Acer rubrum

                                                    Red Maple or Swamp Maple

• Form
  • large deciduous shade tree
  • species form matures at about 70' tall by 40' wide, although the many cultivars are almost always smaller
  • upright oval to upright rounded growth habit in youth, but often developing several main upper trunks with age to yield an upright irregular growth habit for the mature species form, and an upright rounded growth habit for most mature cultivars
  • medium growth rate
• Culture
  • full sun to partial sun
  • prefers moist, slightly acid soils, but will tolerate wet to moderately dry soils
  • abundantly available with many cultivars, usually in ball and burlap but also in container form
  • Red Maple is somewhat sensitive to being transplanted in autumn, and care should be taken to amend the soil, fertilize, water thoroughly, mulch liberally, and avoid winter salt spray, to enhance winter survival
• Foliage
  • fall color of the species ranges from bright yellow to orange to red (most cultivars have an outstanding fall color in various shades of red)

• Function
  • shade, specimen, autumn accent, or wet site tree

• Purpose
  • Red Maple is good shade tree with dependable red foliage in autumn (among its selected cultivars).
• Summary
  • Acer rubrum is a common shade and autumn accent tree in Eastern North America, also valued for its relatively quick growth and symmetry in youth.