It is a naturally occurring hybrid of two native maple parents – red maple (Acer rubrum) and silver maple (Acer saccharinum).
Ĭlick image to enlarge Native Freeman’s maple (Acer freemanii)įreeman’s Maple is a lesser known native maple species found growing naturally in parts of southern Ontario and the Lake States. Cultivars of red maple are more consistently fall coloured than naturally occurring trees.Ĭlick images below for more information on Native Red Maple trees. The nursery industry has developed many Acer rubrum cultivars (Trade names), each with its own distinguishing characteristics of form, growth rate, adaptability to habitat, hardiness and fall leaf colour. In nature, red maple trees vary greatly in fall colouration and intensity. Red maples are amongst the earliest trees to show colour changes in the fall. The leaves of red maples have a blush of red when they start to open in the spring, are green all summer long and turn to shades of yellow, orange and red (sometimes on the same tree), lasting for several weeks in the fall. Mid-summer is the easiest time to tell native red maples from the “red-leaved” non-native maples many people mistakenly think are “red maples”. The fruit matures in mid to late-May and is used as a food source by some wildlife. The flowers become reddish-green winged fruits (samaras) by early-May. Red maple gets its name from the clusters of small, red buds and flowers that appear on the tree in early spring. True red maples (Acer rubrum) are impressive shade trees that grow to a height of 16 metres with a spread of 15 meters. The second group is a collection of “red-leaved” cultivars of the non-native Norway maple that have showy burgundy to reddish-purple leaves all summer long.
Both species have green leaves throughout the summer months and attractive fall foliage with colours ranging from yellows to orange-red and red. The first grouping is Native Maples consisting of Red Maple and Freeman’s Maple, a lesser known native maple that grows in parts of southern Ontario. He just wants a red maple tree that will improve his property’s curb appeal and have attractive fall colours. The average homeowner can get confused reading the labels tied to the trees at a nursery or garden centre. In the nursery and landscape industry, saying the words “Red Maple” can apply to several distinctly different tree species and the many cultivars developed from these species.
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