Red maple
Acer rubrum
Family: Sapindaceae
What it is like
A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.
There are about 120-150 Acer species.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant. A native of north America. It requires deep fertile soils. It needs a sheltered position and is best in light shade. It is frost resistant but is damaged by drought. It can grow in acid soils. Often it grows in swamps and on moist soils. It suits hardiness zones 4-8. Arboretum Tasmania.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia, Britain, Canada, Europe, Middle East, North America, Russia, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, USA
How it is used for food
The sap of the tree is used as a source of sugar. The inner bark can be cooked, dried, ground into flour then used to thicken soups. The leaves of self sown seedlings can be eaten fresh. The seeds with the wings removed can be boiled and eaten. The sprouted seeds are eaten raw.
Edible parts
Sap, seeds, leaves, bark
How it is grown
It is grown from ripened seed.
Trees live for 100 years.
Its other names
Local names
Canadian Maple, Curled Maple, Scarlet maple, Swamp maple