Practical
Plants

Acer saccharum nigrum

Black Maple

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Acer genus in the family Aceraceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Aceraceae
Genus
Acer
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
slow
Height
30 m
Flower type
monoecious

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The sap contains reasonable quantities of sugar and can be used as a drink or concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water[1][14][3][20][19][22][7][8]. The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. The sap can be harvested in late winter or early spring[[7], the flow is best on a warm sunny day after a frost. Trees on southern slopes in sandy soils give the best yields. It is best to make a hole about 7cm deep and about 1.3 metres above the ground[11]. Yields of 40 - 100 litres per tree can be obtained[7]. The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates. Seed - boiled then roasted[25][2][8]. The seed is about 6mm long and is produced in small clusters[27]. Inner bark - cooked. It is dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread[2][10].

Plant part
Inner bark
Plant part
Sap
Plant part
Seed
Product or use
Sweetener

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A decoction of the inner bark has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea[18].

Product or use
Astringent

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them[12][15]. Wood - close grained, tough, hard, heavy. Used for furniture, ship building, etc[20][21][24][27][11]. It is a good fuel[27].

Product or use
Fuel
Product or use
Preservative
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Quebec to Alabama, west to South Dakota and Arkansas.
Habitat
Rich calcareous or alluvial woods[20]. Found in a variety of soil types, near streams, rivers and in rich woodlands, usually below 750 metres but up to 1650 metres in the south of its range[17].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 3+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the following spring. A lot of the seed is non-viable, it is best to cut a few open to see if there is an embryo[4]. An average of 95% germination can be achieved from viable seed[28]. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 - 4 months at 1 - 8°c. It can be slow to germinate, sometimes taking two years[5]. The seed can be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it has dried and produced any germination inhibitors) and sown immediately. It should germinate in late winter. If the seed is harvested too soon it will produce very weak plants or no plants at all[26][4]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions. Layering, which takes about 12 months, is successful with most species in this genus. Cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 - 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil but succeeds on most soils[3][28]. Chlorosis can often develop as a result of iron deficiency when the plants are grown in alkaline soils, but in general maples are not fussy as to soil pH. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Trees need full light and a lot of space[28]. Plants are hardy to about -45°c when fully dormant[9]. This species is not a great success in Britain[1], though it does better than once thought[3]. It grows well in Cornwall[23]. Slow growing when young[3]. Plants produce prodigious root growth but very little top growth in first year from seed[6]. Trees grow rapidly for their first 25 years in the wild, but then slow down and only occasionally surviving for more than 200 years[17]. A very ornamental tree[1] but a bad companion plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants[12][15]. This species is commercially exploited in America for its sap[1][3]. Along with A. saccharum and the sub-species A. s. grandidentatum it is the major source of maple syrup[3]. There are some named varieties[13]. The sap can be tapped within 10 - 15 years from seed but it does not flow so well in areas with mild winters[9].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  4. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

    ↩1↩2

  5. ? The Plantsman. Vol. 5. 1983 - 1984. Royal Horticultural Society 1983-00-00

    ↩

  6. Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987-00-00

    ↩

  7. Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-12-136450-x

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4

    ↩1↩2

  9. Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.

    ↩1↩2

  10. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  11. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  12. Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  13. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩

  14. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  15. Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-88266-064-0

    ↩1↩2

  16. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

  17. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2

  18. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  19. Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press 1975-00-00

    ↩

  20. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  21. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  22. Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.

    ↩

  23. Thurston. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall.

    ↩

  24. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  25. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩

  26. McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-901361-21-6

    ↩

  27. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2↩3

  28. Gordon. A. G. and Rowe. D. C. f. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs.

    ↩1↩2↩3

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