The Sugar Maple or Acer saccharum, which is its scientific name, is a deciduous tree , which grows mainly in hardwood forests. These trees can be found in the forests of North America in the northeastern region extending from Nova Scotia to southern part of Ontario, and in the south from Texas to Georgia. These trees are very important to the forest's ecology . They are able to draw water from lower layers of the soil, and exude it in the upper layes which are usually dry. This is advantageous to many plants growing in its vicinity.
The Sugar Maple is a tall tree whose fully mature height ranges from 50 to 100 feet, and its spread is known to be 35 to 50 feet. There are certain exceptions in the wild where the tree has reached an amazing 150 feet. It has a canopy which is nearly symmetrical having an outline which is regular and smooth. The leaves are star shaped, and have an undulated lobed margin. Lobes at the base of the leaf are small compared to the upper lobes, and these have deep notches as well. The notches of the Sugar Maple leaf are more rounded on the inside, compared to other Maples. These green color leaves come in sizes of 4 to 8 inches and also 2 to 4 inches. In fall, these leaves turn into beautiful shades of yellow, orange and red.
Flowers and Fruits
The flowers of the Sugar Maple tree come in a corymb bunch of about 5 to 10 flowers. They have a yellowish green color and do not have any petals. The fruit is samara type in double formation having seeds which are two winged. These seeds are about 1 cm in diameter and 2 to 3 cms long, having a globose shape.
The Sugar Maple tree needs deep loamy soil which is well drained. It is also known to grow in soils which are sandy and partially wet, and also in loose clay soils . The tree cannot tolerate salt content, and soils which are not well drained. Sugar Maple will usually grow at a rate of one foot per year, and is therefore quite slow growing, but it is easy to propagate this tree and also transplant it.
The Sugar Maple tree is the major source for tapping sap, which is the ingredient for making Maple syrup . There are many different types of Maples but for making syrup the Sugar maple is considered the best. The wood of this tree is considered to be one of the densest and hardest, having a weight of 740kg per cubic meter. This wood finds use in flooring and building sturdy furniture. Also the wood is used in Bowling alleys, and the making of the bowling pins, pool cues and baseball bats. For making musical instruments such as the violin, guitar and drums this wood is widely used. The Sugar Maple tree has a beauty of its own and therefore many people prefer to have it in their garden and is also grown to line streets.
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