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| Leaf; Photo: Daniel Tigner, Canadian Forest Tree Essences |
Bark; Photo: Daniel Tigner, Canadian Forest Tree Essences |
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| Seed; Photo: Daniel Tigner, Canadian Forest Tree Essences |
Tree; Photo: Daniel Tigner, Canadian Forest Tree Essences |
Sugar Maple gets its name from the sweet sap it produces which is used to make make syrup. Other maples can be used as well, but their sap is not nearly as sweet. It takes about 40 litres of Sugar Maple sap to make 1 litre of maple syrup!
The sugar maple is found in central and southern Ontario. It’s a large tree that can grow up to 35 metres tall, and can live for more than 200 years.
The sugar maple’s yellowish-green leaves are 8 to 20 centimetres long, and have five lobes. The shape of the leaf is well known – it’s found on the Canadian flag and is the national tree of Canada. In the fall the sugar maple’s leaves turn yellow, brilliant orange or red.
The sugar maple’s bark is smooth and gray and becomes darker and splits into ridges that curl out as the tree gets older. Seeds from the sugar maple are contained in ‘keys’ which are 30 to 35 millimetres long. Seed is produced every year, with an abundant crop every 7 years.
Size: 35 metres tall, 90 centimetres in diameter
Moisture: Prefers moist soil
Shade: Can tolerate shade but grows better when it gets full sun
Soil: Prefers deep and rich soil
Planting tip: Sugar maples do best in deep, rich and well-drained soil. Its roots are deep and wide spreading, and it’s a large, strong tree, ideal for use as a shade tree. More tips...
