Sugar maple, Hard Maple
Acer saccharum

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 plant native to north America. It requires light fertile soils. It needs a protected position and can stand shade when young but full sun when mature. It is frost resistant but drought tender. It cannot tolerate coastal locations. It cannot tolerate pollution. It suits hardiness zones 4-8. Arboretum Tasmania. National Arboretum Canberra.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Britain, Canada, Europe, Korea, North America, Russia, Tasmania, USA

How it is used for food

The sweet sap is eaten. The seeds have also been eaten but contain poisonous substances.

It is the main source of maple syrup. Cultivated.

Edible parts

Sap, seeds

How it is grown

It is grown from ripened seed. The seed need to be in the seed bed and left undisturbed for 4 years. Trees produce shoots near the base when the tree is cut down and if covered with soil these quickly develop roots. Trees should be 8 m apart.

Yields of 80 to 180 litres of sap can be produced in a season from one tree. The sap can be concentrated by boiling or by leaving it out in the frost and removing the ice which forms on top. Sap flow occurs from the end of spring until buds swell. A good sap flow requires freezing nights and sunny days. A hollow metal tube 11 mm across is driven slightly upwards and 5-8 cm into the trunk. It is often slow growing for the first 10 years. About 40 litres of sap produce one litre of syrup.

Its other names

Local names

Rock Maple

Synonyms

Acer rugelii Pax; Acer saccharum var. rugelii (Pax) Rehder; Acer saccharum var. schneckii Rehder;