Acer rubrum, L.

Red Maple. Swamp Maple. Soft Maple. White Maple.

Habitat and Range. —Borders of streams, low lands, wet forests, swamps, rocky hillsides.

Common throughout New England from the sea to an altitude of 3000 feet on Katahdin.

Habit. —A medium-sized tree, 40-50 feet high, rising occasionally in swamps to a height of 60-75 feet; trunk 2-4 feet in diameter, throwing out limbs at varying angles a few feet from the ground; branches and branchlets slender, forming a bushy spray, the tips having a slightly upward tendency; head compact, in young trees usually rounded and symmetrical, widest just above the point of furcation. In the first warm days of spring there shimmers amid the naked branches a faint glow of red, which at length becomes embodied in the abundant scarlet, crimson, or yellow of the long flowering stems; succeeded later by the brilliant fruit, which is outlined against the sober green of the foliage till it pales and falls in June. The colors of the autumn leaves vie in splendor with those of the sugar maple.

Bark. —In young trees smooth and light gray, becoming very dark and ridgy in large trunks, the surface separating into scales, and in very old trees hanging in long flakes; young shoots often bright red in autumn, conspicuously marked with oblong white spots.

Winter Buds and Leaves. —Buds aggregated at or near the ends of the preceding year's shoots, about ⅛ inch long; protected by dark reddish scales; inner scales lengthening with the growth of the shoot. Leaves simple, opposite, 3-4 inches long, green and smooth above, lighter and more or less pubescent beneath, especially along the veins; turning crimson or scarlet in early autumn; ovate, 3-5-lobed, the middle lobe generally the longest, the lower pair (when 5 lobes are present) the smallest; unequally sharp-toothed, with broad, acute sinuses; apex acute; base heart-shaped, truncate, or obtuse; leafstalk 1-3 inches long. The leaves of the red maple vary greatly in size, outline, lobing, and shape of base.

Inflorescence. —April 1-15. Appearing before the leaves in close clusters encircling the shoots of the previous year, varying in color from dull red or pale yellow to scarlet; the sterile and fertile flowers mostly in separate clusters, sometimes on the same tree, but more frequently on different trees; calyx lobes oblong and obtuse; petals linear-oblong; pedicels short; stamens 5-8, much longer than the petals in the sterile and about the same length in the fertile flowers; the smooth ovary surmounted by a style separating into two much-projecting stigmatic lobes.

Fruit. —Fruit ripe in June, hanging on long stems, varying from brown to crimson; keys about an inch in length, at first convergent, at maturity more or less divergent.

Horticultural Value. —Hardy throughout New England; found in a wider range of soils than any other species of the genus, but seeming to prefer a gravelly or peaty loam in positions where its roots can reach a constant supply of moisture. It is more variable than any other of the native maples and consequently is not so good a tree for streets, where a symmetrical outline and uniform habit are required. It is transplanted readily, but recovers its vigor more slowly than does the sugar or silver maple and is usually of slower growth. Its variable habit makes it an exceedingly interesting tree in the landscape.

Plate LXXI. —Acer rubrum.

Acer saccharinum, L.

Acer dasycarpum, Ehrh.

Silver Maple. Soft Maple. White Maple. River Maple.

Habitat and Range. —Along streams, in rich intervale lands, and in moist, deep-soiled forests, but not in swamps.

Occasional throughout the New England states; most common and best developed upon the banks of rivers and lakes at low altitudes.

Habit. —A handsome tree, 50-60 feet in height; trunk 2-5 feet in diameter, separating a few feet from the ground into several large, slightly diverging branches. These, naked for some distance, repeatedly subdivide at wider angles, forming a very wide head, much broader near the top. The ultimate branches are long and slender, often forming on the lower limbs a pendulous fringe sometimes reaching to the ground. Distinguished in winter by its characteristic graceful outlines, and by its flower-buds conspicuously scattered along the tips of the branchlets; in summer by the silvery-white under-surface of its deeply cut leaves. It is among the first of the New England trees to blossom, preceding the red maple by one to three weeks.

Bark. —Bark of trunk smooth and gray in young trees, becoming with age rougher and darker, more or less ridged, separating into thin, loose scales; young shoots chestnut-colored in autumn, smooth, polished, profusely marked with light dots.

Winter Buds and Leaves. —Flower-buds clustered near the ends of the branchlets, conspicuous in winter; scales imbricated, convex, polished, reddish, with ciliate margins; leaf-buds more slender, about ⅛ inch long, with similar scales, the inner lengthening, falling as the leaf expands. Leaves simple, opposite, 3-5 inches long, of varying width, light green above, silvery-white beneath, turning yellow in autumn; lobes 3, or more usually 5, deeply cut, sharp-toothed, sharp-pointed, more or less sublobed; sinuses deep, narrow, with concave sides; base sub-heart-shaped or truncate; stems long.

Inflorescence. —March to April. Much preceding the leaves; from short branchlets of the previous year, in simple, crowded umbels; flowers rarely perfect, the sterile and fertile sometimes on the same tree and sometimes on different trees, generally in separate clusters, yellowish-green or sometimes pinkish; calyx 5-notched, wholly included in bud-scales; petals none; sterile flowers long, stamens 3-7 much exserted, filaments slender, ovary abortive or none: fertile flowers broad, stamens about the length of calyx-tube, ovary woolly, with two styles scarcely united at the base.

Fruit. —Fruit ripens in June, earliest of the New England maples. Keys large, woolly when young, at length smooth, widely divergent, scythe-shaped or straight, yellowish-green, one key often aborted.

Horticultural Value. —Hardy in cultivation throughout New England. The grace of its branches, the beauty of its foliage, and its rapid growth make it a favorite ornamental tree. It attains its finest development when planted by the margin of pond or stream where its roots can reach water, but it grows well in any good soil. Easily transplanted, and more readily obtainable at a low price than any other tree in general use for street or ornamental purposes. The branches are easily broken by wind and ice, and the roots fill the ground for a long distance and exhaust its fertility.

Plate LXXII. —Acer saccharinum.

Acer Saccharum, Marsh.

Acer saccharinum, Wang. Acer barbatum, Michx.

Rock Maple. Sugar Maple. Hard Maple. Sugar Tree.

Habitat and Range. —Rich woods and cool, rocky slopes.

New England,—abundant, distributed throughout the woods, often forming in the northern portions extensive upland forests; attaining great size in the mountainous portions of New Hampshire and Vermont, and in the Connecticut river valley; less frequent toward the seacoast.

Habit. —A noble tree, 50-90 feet in height; trunk 2-5 feet in diameter, stout, erect, throwing out its primary branches at acute angles; secondary branches straight, slender, nearly horizontal or declining at the base, leaving the stem higher up at sharper and sharper angles, repeatedly subdividing, forming a dense and rather stiff spray of nearly uniform length; head symmetrical, varying greatly in shape; in young trees often narrowly cylindrical, becoming pyramidal or broadly egg-shaped with age; clothed with dense masses of foliage, purple-tinged in spring, light green in summer, and gorgeous beyond all other trees of the forest, with the possible exception of the red maple, in its autumnal oranges, yellows, and reds.

Bark. —Bark of trunk and principal branches gray, very smooth, close and firm in young trees, in old trees becoming deeply furrowed, often cleaving up at one edge in long, thick, irregular plates; season's shoots at length of a shining reddish-brown, smooth, numerously pale-dotted, turning gray the third year.

Winter Buds and Leaves. —Buds sharp-pointed, reddish-brown, minutely pubescent, terminal ¼ inch long, lateral ⅛ inch, appressed, the inner scales lengthening with the growth of the shoot. Leaves simple, opposite, 3-5 inches long, with a somewhat greater breadth, purplish and more or less pubescent when opening, at maturity dark green above, paler, with or without pubescence beneath, changing to brilliant reds and yellows in autumn; lobes sometimes 3, usually 5, acuminate, sparingly sinuate-toothed, with shallow, rounded sinuses; base subcordate, truncate, or wedge-shaped; veins and veinlets conspicuous beneath; leafstalks long, slender.

Inflorescence. —April 1-15. Appearing with the leaves in nearly sessile clusters, from terminal and lateral buds; flowers greenish-yellow, pendent on long thread-like, hairy stems; sterile and fertile on the same or on different trees, usually in separate, but not infrequently in the same cluster; the 5-lobed calyx cylindrical or bell-shaped, hairy; petals none; stamens 6-8, in sterile flowers much longer than the calyx, in fertile scarcely exserted; ovary smooth, abortive in sterile flowers, in fertile surmounted by a single style with two divergent, thread-like, stigmatic lobes.

Fruit. —Keys usually an inch or more in length, glabrous, wings broad, mostly divergent, falling late in autumn.

Horticultural Value. —Hardy throughout New England. Its long life, noble proportions, beautiful foliage, dense shade, moderately rapid growth, usual freedom from disease or insect disfigurement, and adaptability to almost any soil not saturated with water make it a favorite in cultivation; readily obtainable in nurseries, transplants easily, recovers its vigor quickly, and has a nearly uniform habit of growth.

Note. —Not liable to be taken for any other native maple, but sometimes confounded with the cultivated Norway maple, Acer platanoides , from which it is easily distinguished by the milky juice which exudes from the broken petiole of the latter.

The leaves of the Norway maple are thinner, bright green and glabrous beneath, and its keys diverge in a straight line.

Plate LXXIII. —Acer saccharum.

Acer saccharum, Marsh., var. nigrum, Britton.

Acer nigrum, Michx. Acer saccharinum, var. nigrum, T. & G. Acer barbatum, var. nigrum, Sarg.

Black Maple.

Habitat and Range. —Low, damp ground on which, in New England at least, the sugar maple is rarely if ever seen, or upon moist, rocky slopes.

The New England specimens, with the exception of those from the Champlain valley, appear to be dubious intermediates between the type and the variety.

Maine,—the Rangeley lake region; New Hampshire,—occasional near the Connecticut river; Vermont,—frequent in the western part in the Champlain valley, occasional in all other sections, especially in the vicinity of the Connecticut; Massachusetts,—occasional in the Connecticut river valley and westward, doubtfully reported from eastern sections; Rhode Island,—doubtful, resting on the authority of Colonel Olney's list; Connecticut,—doubtfully reported.

The extreme forms of nigrum show well-marked varietal differences; but there are few, if any, constant characters. Further research in the field is necessary to determine the status of these interesting plants.

Habit. —The black maple is somewhat smaller than the sugar maple, the bark is darker and the foliage more sombre. It generally has a symmetrical outline, which it retains to old age.

Leaves. —The fully grown leaves are often larger than those of the type, darker green above, edges sometimes drooping, width equal to or exceeding the length, 5-lobed, margin blunt-toothed, wavy-toothed, or entire, the two lower lobes small, often reduced to a curve in the outline, broad at the base, which is usually heart-shaped; texture firm; the lengthening scales of the opening leaves, the young shoots, the petioles, and the leaves themselves are covered with a downy to a densely woolly pubescence. As the parts mature, the woolliness usually disappears, except along the midrib and principal veins, which become almost glabrous.

Horticultural Value. —Hardy throughout New England, preferring a moist, fertile, gravelly loam; young trees are rather more vigorous than those of the sugar maple, and easily transplanted. Difficult to secure, for it is seldom offered for sale or recognized by nurseries, although occasionally found mixed with the sugar maple in nursery rows.

Plate LXXIV. —Acer Saccharum, var. nigrum.

Acer spicatum, Lam.

Mountain Maple.

Habitat and Range. —In damp forests, rocky highland woods, along the sides of mountain brooks at altitudes of 500-1000 feet.

Maine,—common, especially northward in the forests; New Hampshire and Vermont,—common; Massachusetts,—rather common in western and central sections, occasional eastward; Rhode Island,—occasional northward; Connecticut,—occasional in northern and central sections; reported as far south as North Branford (New Haven county).

Habit. —Mostly a shrub, but occasionally attaining a height of 25 feet, with a diameter, near the ground, of 6-8 inches; characterized by a short, straight trunk and slender branches; bright green foliage turning a rich red in autumn, and long-stemmed, erect racemes of delicate flowers, drooping at length beneath the weight of the maturing keys.

Bark. —Bark of trunk thin, smoothish, grayish-brown; primary branches gray; branchlets reddish-brown streaked with green, retaining in the second year traces of pubescence; season's shoots yellowish-green, reddish on the upper side when exposed to the sun, minutely pubescent.

Winter Buds and Leaves. —Buds small, flattish, acute, slightly divergent from the stem. Leaves simple, opposite, 4-5 inches long, two-thirds as wide, pubescent on both sides when unfolding, at length glabrous on the upper surface, 3-lobed above the center, often with two small additional lobes at the base, coarsely or finely serrate, lobes acuminate; base more or less heart-shaped; veining 3-5-nerved, prominent, especially on the lower side, furrowed above; leafstalks long, enlarged at the base.

Inflorescence. —June. Appearing after the expansion of the leaves, in long-stemmed, terminal, more or less panicled, erect or slightly drooping racemes; flowers small and numerous, both kinds in the same raceme, the fertile near the base; all upon very slender pedicels; lobes of calyx 5, greenish, downy, about half as long as the alternating linear petals; stamens usually 8, in the sterile flower nearly as long as the petals, in the fertile much shorter; pistil rudimentary, hairy in the sterile flower; in the fertile the ovary is surmounted by an erect style with short-lobed stigma.

Fruit. —In long racemes, drooping or pendent; the keys, which are smaller than those of any other American maple, set on hair-like pedicels, and at a wide but not constant angle; at length reddish, with a small cavity upon one side.

Horticultural Value. —Hardy in cultivation throughout New England; prefers moist, well-drained, gravelly loam in partial shade, but grows well in any good soil; easily transplanted, but recovers its vigor rather slowly; foliage free from disease.

Seldom grown in nurseries, but readily obtainable from northern collectors of native plants.

Plate LXXV. —Acer spicatum.

Acer Pennsylvanicum, L.

Striped Maple. Moosewood. Whistlewood.

Habitat and Range. —Cool, rocky or sandy woods.

Maine,—abundant, especially northward in the forests; New Hampshire and Vermont,—common in highland woods; Massachusetts,—common in the western and central sections, rare towards the coast; Rhode Island,—frequent northward; Connecticut,—frequent, reported as far south as Cheshire (New Haven county).

Habit. —Shrub or small tree, 15-25 feet high, with a diameter at the ground of 5-8 inches; characterized by a slender, beautifully striate trunk and straight branches; by the roseate flush of the opening foliage, deepening later to a yellowish-green; and by the long, graceful, pendent racemes of yellowish flowers, succeeded by the abundant, drooping fruit.

Bark. —Bark of trunk and branches deep reddish-brown or dark green, conspicuously striped longitudinally with pale and blackish bands; roughish with light buff, irregular dots; the younger branches marked with oval leaf-scars and the linear scars of the leaf-scales; the season's shoots smooth, light green, mottled with black.

In spring the bark of the small branches is easily separable, giving rise to the name "whistle wood."

Winter Buds and Leaves. —Terminal bud long, short-stalked, obscurely 4-sided, tapering to a blunt tip; lateral buds small and flat; opening foliage roseate. Leaves simple, opposite; 5-6 inches long and nearly as broad; the upper leaves much narrower; when fully grown light green above, paler beneath, finally nearly glabrous, yellow in autumn, divided above the center into three deep acuminate lobes, finely, sharply, and usually doubly serrate; base heart-shaped, truncate, or rounded; leafstalks 1-3 inches long, grooved, the enlarged base including the leaf-buds of the next season.

Inflorescence. —In simple, drooping racemes, often 5-6 inches long, appearing after the leaves in late May or early June; the sterile and fertile flowers mostly in separate racemes on the same tree; the bell-shaped flowers on slender pedicels; petals and sepals greenish-yellow; sepals narrowly oblong, somewhat shorter than the obovate petals; stamens usually 8, shorter than the petals in the sterile flower, rudimentary in the fertile, the pistil abortive or none in the sterile flower, in the fertile terminating in a recurved stigma.

Fruit. —In long, drooping racemes of pale green keys, set at a wide but not uniform angle; distinguished from the other maples, except A. spicatum , by a small cavity in the side of each key; abundant; ripening in August.

Horticultural Value. —Hardy, under favorable conditions, throughout New England. Prefers a rich, moist soil near water, in shade; but grows well in almost any soil when once established, many young plants failing to start into vigorous growth. Occasionally grown by nurserymen, but more readily obtainable from northern collectors of native plants.

Plate LXXVI. —Acer Pennsylvanicum.

Acer Negundo, L.

Negundo aceroides, Moench. Negundo Negundo, Karst.

Box Elder. Ash-leaved Maple.

Habitat and Range. —In deep, moist soil; river valleys and borders of swamps.

Maine,—along the St. John and its tributaries, especially in the French villages, the commonest roadside tree, brought in from the wild state according to the people there; thoroughly established young trees, originating from planted specimens, in various parts of the state; New Hampshire,—occasional along the Connecticut, abundant at Walpole; extending northward as far as South Charlestown (W. F. Flint in lit. ); Vermont,—shores of the Winooski river and of Lake Champlain; Connecticut,—banks of the Housatonic river at New Milford, Cornwall Bridge, and Lime Rock station.

Habit. —A small but handsome tree, 30-40 feet high, with a diameter of 1-2 feet. Trunk separating at a small height, occasionally a foot or two from the ground, into several wide-spreading branches, forming a broad, roundish, open head, characterized by lively green branchlets and foliage, delicate flowers and abundant, long, loose racemes of yellowish-green keys hanging till late autumn, the stems clinging throughout the winter.

Bark. —Bark of trunk when young, smooth, yellowish-green, in old trees becoming grayish-brown and ridgy; smaller branchlets greenish-yellow; season's shoots pale green or sometimes reddish-purple, smooth and shining or sometimes glaucous.

Winter Buds and Leaves. —Buds small, ovate, enclosed in two dull-red, minutely pubescent scales. Leaves pinnately compound, opposite; leaflets usually 3, sometimes 5 or 7, 2-4 inches long, 1½-2½ inches broad, light green above, paler beneath and woolly when opening, slightly pubescent at maturity, ovate or oval, irregularly and remotely coarse-toothed mostly above the middle, 3-lobed or nearly entire; apex acute; base extremely variable; veins prominent; petioles 2-3 inches long, enlarging at the base, leaving, when they fall, conspicuous leaf-scars which unite at an angle midway between the winter buds.

Inflorescence. —April 1-15. Flowers appearing at the ends of the preceding year's shoots as the leaf-buds begin to open, small, greenish-yellow; sterile and fertile on separate trees,—the sterile in clusters, on long, hairy, drooping, thread-like stems; the calyx hairy, 5-lobed, with about 5 hairy-stemmed, much-projecting linear anthers; pistil none: the fertile in delicate, pendent racemes, scarcely distinguishable at a distance from the foliage; ovary pubescent, rising out of the calyx; styles long, divergent; stamens none.

Fruit. —Loose, pendent, greenish-yellow racemes, 6-8 inches long, the slender-pediceled keys joined at a wide angle, broadest and often somewhat wavy near the extremity, dropping in late autumn from the reddish stems, which hang on till spring.

Horticultural Value. —Hardy throughout New England; flourishes best in moist soil near running water or on rocky slopes, but accommodates itself to almost any situation; easily transplanted. Plants of the same age are apt to vary so much in size and habit as to make them unsuitable for street planting.

An attractive tree when young, especially when laden with fruit in the fall. There are several horticultural varieties with colored foliage, some of which are occasionally offered in nurseries. A western form, having the new growth covered with a glaucous bloom, is said to be longer-lived and more healthy than the type. ZrAmFWDOqlIqzLHuz9nsiZsHPxd9LlIFm8HcnpZCOKUXGDLPCbT7zcfFha3VuXiI

Plate LXXVII. —Acer Negundo.

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