I’m content to know that I cannot nameĮvery individual and call them Sugar / Black Maple. They could be hybrids between Black and Sugar. However, intermediates exist that resemble Sugar Maple but with pubescent Black Maple is a tree of wet soil growing in river bottoms. Maple has three-lobed leaves with drooping leaf tips. Maple, and Reznicek on the Michigan Flora website accepts it with reservations. This species, Voss in his Michigan Flora treats it as a variety of the Sugar

Barnes and Wagner in their Michigan Trees accept I often look for the sharp terminal bud to distinguish Sugar fromīlack Maple ( Acer nigrum) is a pragmatic species that In the summer its petiole emits a non-milky, clear juice whenīroken. Less smooth underneath but sometimes it has hairs at the leaf base where the Norway Maple but with lighter green, five-lobed leaves. Sugar Maple or Hard Maple ( Acer saccharum) is similar to Maple leaves stay green later in the season than Sugar Maples. Terminal buds are rounded not sharp as in Sugar Maple. The summer its petiole emits a sticky, milky juice when broken. Leaves are paler underneath than above with hairy tufts in the leaf axils. Leaves with narrow almost awl-like tips distinguish this from Sugar Maple. Now spreading from cultivation into wild areas in southern Michigan. Norway Maple ( Acer platanoides) is native to Europe but is Norway, Sugar, and Black Maples all have leaf sinuses that are Racemes of flowers or fruits help to identify this maple. Itįlowers in the early summer when its leaves are fully developed. Second year twigs have distinctive white stripes. Doubly serrate means that the teeth have smaller teeth. Pensylvanicum) is similar to Mountain Maple. Striped Maple or Goosefoot Maple or Moosewood ( Acer Its leaves resemble Red Maple butĪre more finely toothed and not as deeply lobed. It is a small tree more common in northern Mountain Maple ( Acer spicatum) leaves are covered with Red Maple flowers have sepalsĪnd petals and a smooth ovary. Maple flowers, also before the leaves develop. The sinuses extend 1/2 way to the midrib and areįinely toothed. It has three main leaf lobes with the edges Red Maple ( Acer rubrum) leaves are whitish-silver beneath Silver Maple flowers lack sepals and petals and have a hairy ovary.Ĭhew a twig if you are not sure it is Silver Maple. It is one of our earliest flowering trees: flowering before the leavesĭevelop. It is coarser toothed than the Red and Mountain Silver Maple ( Acer saccharinum) leaves are whitish-silverīeneath with coarse toothed leaf margins. This takes a little practice to discern but the The other simple leaved species have leaf Silver, Red, Mountain and Striped Maples all have the main leaf Clusters of paired seeds hang on the tree in the summer and fall giving another method to distinguish this from the ashes. Species: Flowering Dogwood Ohio Buckeye L Horse-chestnut Rīox-elder or Ash-leaved Maple or Manitoba Maple ( Acer negundo) has compound leaves, course teeth on the leaflets, and a whitish bloom on the twig. Once you know you have a maple this is how you identify the maples to Ashes are pinnately compound with 7 to 13 leaflets.īox-elder is our only maple with compound leaves and it rarely has more than 5 Dogwoods have simple leaves with entire margins (no teeth along theĮdges of the leaves). (the leaflets radiate from a single point similarly to your fingers on your Horse-chestnut and Ohio Buckeye have palmately compound leaves Leaves are Maples, Ashes, Dogwood, Horse-chestnut, and Ohio Buckeye.

The fruit, winged key seeds called double samaras, develops early in the spring.Seven native species and one commonly escaped species of maple Maples often have small flowers that are not very showy and form in droopy clusters. The boxelder is the exception, featuring multiple, compound leaves radiating from the leafstalk. The leafstalks are long, often as long as the leaf itself. The leaves are simple and palmate-shaped on most species, with three or five main veins radiating from the leafstalk. Here, we identify these top five maples and provide general tips for recognizing maple trees in the forest.ĭespite the many different types of maples, these trees have some common features.įor example, maples have mostly grey-colored bark, and the deciduous leaves are often always arranged on stems opposite each other.

That's because the seven less common species are found regionally, whereas the five most common ones are more widespread. However, five of those maple species are vastly more common to spot on your nature walk. There are approximately 125 species worldwide and 12 maples native to North America. The word Acer is derived from a Latin word meaning 'sharp,' and the name refers to the characteristic points on the leaf lobes. Maple trees are classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae.

Identifying types of maple trees