Acer rubrum (Sapindaceae)
Origin: Eastern United States
Found from Eastern Texas to the coastal forests of North Carolina and Nova Scotia all the way south to the Everglades, red maple is one of the most common trees in the Eastern United States. It is adapted to a mind-blowing number of climatic and soil conditions; from swamps to dry bluffs and temperate forests blanketed in snow to parking lots in downtown Tampa. It is also one of those rare species that seems to have benefited from human development; there are many more red maples found growing today than there would have been at the onset of European colonialization of this land. This is due to several reasons; some passive, such as fire exclusion (maples are not a fire-tolerant species) and lack of timber value (maple is considered a soft wood) have given maples a real advantage over pines and oaks, which are fire-dependent and have been logged commercially for centuries now. As pines and oaks (which are long-lived trees) disappear from Eastern forests they are being replaced by maples, which are short-lived trees in comparison, meaning they grow quickly. This is dramatically changing the makeup of many of our forests.
The more aggressive reasons maples have had a recent advantage, have to with horticulture and agriculture. Red maple is a desirable tree from a horticultural perspective, both adapted to many conditions and beautiful. Americans have planted them all over the country now; you can find red maples in Seattle, thriving in the fog of the Pacific Northwest. They are planted in shopping centers and gardens, along the highway and as shade trees in front of homes everywhere. The sap from maple trees, including that of the red maple, is also a prized bit of Americana, and so, especially in the northeast, you will find not only forest trees being tapped in their feral state, but rows upon rows of plantation trees as well.
One of the most striking features of the red maple, and the reason behind its common name, is its fall foliage. When the earth’s tilt shifts us away from the sun and the days grow shorter, temperate broadleaved trees prepare for a period of dormancy. They first take energy from the leaves and move it around the tree to the stems, trunk, and roots, for winter storage. This “drains” the leaves of certain chemicals and leaves others, causing a variety of fall color, from orange to gold to red. Red maples turn a flaming red right around this time of year; oftentimes, it is not realized a stand of maples are growing nearby until they all suddenly change color and stick out from the rest of the landscape. In Florida, red maples are usually found in wet areas which never burn, like swamps. Here at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, we have one specimen planted in our Florida native hardwood hammock at the northernmost end of the garden. It has just started to turn and it is visible from the curve of U.S. 41.
Text by David Troxell