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Sugar maple
Sugar maple
About the sugar maple tree
Sugar maple - Acer saccharum
Identification: Sugar maples can be identified by their five-lobed leaves, which are wider at the base. Leaves are dark yellow-green on top and lighter on the underside. Leaves turn yellow, orange or red in autumn. Sugar maples have dark gray bark with furrowed ridges. The fruit of a maple tree, commonly known as a “helicopter,” is called a samara. Inside the winged samara is the seed of the tree. The sugar maple’s samaras are nearly parallel and form a “u” shape.
Height: 60-75 feet
Preferences: Shade or partial shade. Hardiness zones 3-8.
Wildlife value: Whitetail deer and rabbits browse on the buds and twigs of maples. Chipmunks, squirrels and other small mammals eat the seeds from maple samaras.
Uses: Sugar maples are the primary source of sap for making maple syrup and maple sugar due to their high sugar content (around 2%).