Practical
Plants

Acer saccharum

Sugar 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
Spread
12 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

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

The sap contains quite a large proportion of sugar. This can be used as a refreshing drink, or be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water[1][13][3][23][26]. The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. The sap can be harvested in late winter or early spring[[6], the flow is best on a warm sunny day after a frost[16]. 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[10]. Yields of 40 - 100 litres per tree can be obtained[6]. The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates. The sap contains 2 - 6% sugar, thus about 32 litres are required to make a litre of maple syrup[20]. Self-sown seedlings, gathered in early spring, are eaten fresh or dried for later use[16]. Seeds - cooked. The wings are removed and the seeds boiled then eaten hot[29][2][7][16]. The seed is about 6mm long and is produced in small clusters[31]. 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][9].

Plant part
Inner bark
Plant part
Leaves
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 tea made from the inner bark is a blood tonic, diuretic and expectorant[17]. It has been used in the treatment of coughs, diarrhoea etc[17]. A compound infusion of the bark has been used as drops in treating blindness[22]. The sap has been used for treating sore eyes[22]. The inner bark has been used as an expectorant and cough remedy[22]. Maple syrup is used in cough syrups and is also said to be a liver tonic and kidney cleanser[17].

Product or use
Blood tonic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Hepatic
Product or use
Ophthalmic

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[11][14]. Wood - close grained, tough, hard, heavy, strong, not very durable, it takes a high polish, remains smooth under abrasion and has a high shock-resistance[25][28][31][10][19]. It holds nails well, is fair in gluing, dries easily and shrinks moderately[19]. The wood weighs 43lb per cubic foot[21]. Considered by many to be the most valuable hardwood tree in N. America, the sugar maple is used for a wide range of applications including furniture, flooring, turnery, musical instruments and ship building[25][28][31][10][19]. Accidental forms with the grain curled and contorted, known as curly maple and bird's eye maple, are common and are highly prized in cabinet making[31]. The wood is also a very good fuel, giving off a lot of heat and forming very hot embers[31][18]. The ashes of the wood are rich in alkali and yield large quantities of potash[31].

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

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Georgia, west to Texas and Minnesota.
Habitat
Found in a variety of soil types, doing best in deep rich well-drained soils from sea level to 1600 metres[20]. Rich usually hilly woods[24].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 3+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
very acid, 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[32]. 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[30][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][32], though it is more likely to become chlorotic as a result of iron deficiency on alkaline soils. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Trees need full light and a lot of space[32]. This species is one of the most shade tolerant of the N. American maples[18]. It tolerates atmospheric pollution[15] and so is often used as a street tree, though it can suffer from soil compaction and the use of salt on the roads in frosty weather. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.5 to 7.3. Hardy to about -45°c when fully dormant[8]. A fast-growing tree for its first 40 years in the wild[20], this species is not a great success in Britain[1], though it does better than once thought[3]. It grows well in Cornwall[27]. In cultivation it has proved to be slow growing when young[3]. Trees can live for 250 years in the wild[20]. A very ornamental tree[1] but a bad companion plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants[11][14]. This species is commercially exploited in America for its sap[1][3]. Along with its sub-species it is the major source of maple syrup[3]. There are some named varieties[12]. The sap can be tapped within 10 - 15 years from seed but it does not flow so well in areas with mild winters[8].

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

  8. Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

  16. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩1↩2↩3

  17. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3

  18. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

    ↩1↩2

  19. Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0292780206

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  21. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

  26. Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.

    ↩

  27. Thurston. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall.

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  31. 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↩4↩5↩6

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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