The paired samaras form a 60º to 90º angle with each other. Fertile female flowers are replaced by paired samaras that become mature during the fall. Cross-pollination occurs by the wind during a 1-2 week period. The flowers bloom during mid- to late spring as the leaves emerge (which are yellowish green at this time of year). The long slender pedicels of both male and female flowers are quite hairy. Both male and female flowers can occur in the same inflorescence. Individual female flowers are about 1/8" (3 mm.) long, consisting of a yellowish green calyx with 5 teeth and a 2-celled ovary with a divided style. Female flowers are also produced in drooping umbels or sparingly branched corymbs, but they are shorter (about 1-2" long). Individual male flowers are about 1/8" (3 mm.) long, consisting of a yellowish green calyx with 5 teeth and a variable number of exerted stamens (usually about 6-8). Male flowers are produced in drooping umbels or sparingly branched corymbs about 3-4" long. Sugar Maple is either dioecious or monoecious, producing separate male and female flowers on the same or different trees. The slender petioles are 2½-4" long, light green, and glabrous less often, they may be pubescent or slightly red. schneckii) in southern Illinois and areas further south that has leaves with softly pubescent undersides. However, there is a variety of Sugar Maple ( var. The upper leaf surface is dark green and glabrous, while the lower surface is pale to medium green, glabrous (or nearly so), and sometimes slightly glaucous. The margin of each leaf is often slightly undulate and it has a few large teeth that are dentate. The tips of these lobes are pointed, while their sinuses are rounded the sides of the terminal lobe are more or less parallel. Individual leaves are 3-5" long and similarly across each leaf has 3-5 palmate lobes and an orbicular outline. Pairs of opposite leaves occur along the twigs and young shoots. Non-woody young shoots are light green and glabrous. Branch bark is gray and more smooth, while twigs are brown and glabrous with scattered white lenticels (air pores). Trunk bark is gray to gray-brown and it is covered with relatively flat irregular plates. Saplings that are growing in dense shade, however, have a narrow open crown with only a few ascending branches. In relatively open areas, the densely branched crown is globoid to ovoid in shape. On large branches and trunk the bark is light to dark gray, narrowly ridged with long, deep furrows, sometimes becoming scaly.Description: This tree is 60-100' tall at maturity and its trunk is 2-3½' across. Similar to other maples, the fruit is a pair of winged seeds about 1 inch long. The twigs are opposite on the stem, smooth and gray to brown in color. The lobes are deeply cut with rounded divisions between the lobes, dark green above and pale green with a silvery cast below. The leaves are three to five lobed, but usually five lobed. It is found throughout southeastern Canada, the eastern United States and as far west as central Iowa, but is much more common in the eastern part of the state, mostly on the moist soils of bottomlands and lower slopes with north, east or northeast exposures. Seed Stratification: Prechill for 2 months at 34☏ to 40☏ Seed Bearing Frequency: Every 3 to 7 years Site requirements vary with the species of maple. Site Requirements: Maple trees perform best in moist, well-drained soils. Height: Mature height varies with species. Tree canopies may be very dense or wide spreading. Mature Shape: Maples typically have a large, rounded crown. Slower growing maples have heavier, harder wood, making them less susceptible to branch and limb drop. Maples that are fast growing tend to have weak wood and may suffer from wind and ice damage. When selecting a maple tree, be sure to select a species suited for Iowa's weather. Most fall into zones 4 through 8, but some are less tolerant of cold or heat than other. Sugar Maple Tree - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University Habitat: Grows on moist woods and wooded slopes in eastern Iowa. It is the best of the maples for production of maple syrup and sugar. In the fall the yellow, red and crimson colors of the leaves form a very showy and beautiful part of the landscape. The tree produces a dense, round, compact crown when grown in the open and is used quite extensively as a shade or ornamental tree. The sugar maple ( Acer saccharum) (hard maple, rock maple) is one of our largest and finest forest trees, growing to a height of 80 feet with a diameter of two or more feet.
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