The larvae of some beetles also bore through the wood Red Maple and other maples (Acer spp.) the Wood-boring Beetle Table lists some of these species. The Insect Table has a list of insect species that have been observed to feed specifically on Red Maple. Red Maple is a preferred host plant for the larvae of two moths, Parallelia bistriaris (Maple Looper) and Macaria pustularia (Lesser Maple Spanworm).
It is often cultivated as a landscape tree.įaunal Associations: Insects that feed on the leaves, plant juices, wood, and other parts of Red Maple (Acer rubrum) include larvae of gall flies, plant bugs, aphids, leafhoppers, treehoppers, scale insects, and larvae of moths. Because of fire suppression, Red Maple has become more common in upland woodlands in some eastern states. Red Maple is typically associated with American Elm, Green Ash, Silver Maple, and other deciduous trees that occur in soggy woodlands, where it is occasionally dominant or codominant. Habitats include floodplain woodlands in river valleys, swamps, sandy flatwoods, sand dunes, upland woodlands and wooded bluffs, acidic gravelly seeps, and forested bogs. Range & Habitat: The native Red Maple is occasional to locally common in southern and NE Illinois, while in other areas of the state it is rare or absent (see Distribution Map). Longevity of mature trees is typically 75-150 years. It grows moderately fast while young, bearing samaras in as little as 5 years. The deciduous leaves usually turn red during the autumn less commonly, they become orange or yellow.Ĭultivation: This tree is very adaptable, tolerating full sun to light shade, wet to dry conditions, and almost any kind of soil, although it prefers moist loamy soil that is mildly acidic. The root system consists of a taproot with lateral roots they are variable in length, depending on the amount of moisture that is available. They become mature during late spring or early summer and are distributed by the wind. The samaras can be yellow, red, or reddish brown. Each samara is ¾-1" long, consisting of a single-seeded body and an elongated membranous wing. Each pair of samaras forms a 45-90° angle. The female flowers are replaced by paired samaras that are arranged along the twigs in drooping umbels. The flowers bloom during early to mid-spring for about 1-2 weeks.
The sepals and petals are usually red (less often yellow) and very similar in appearance. Individual female flowers are about 1/8" (3 mm.) long, consisting of 5 sepals, 5 petals, and a 2-celled ovary with a pair of divergent styles. These clusters are initially sessile, but the pedicels of the flowers soon become ½-2" long, resulting in drooping umbels. The female flowers also occur in clusters along last year's branches (usually on separate branches when male flowers are present on a tree). Individual male flowers are about 1/8" (3 mm.) long, consisting of 5 sepals, 5 petals, and several stamens. Male flowers occur in dense sessile clusters along last year's twigs they are surrounded by short scaly bracts with ciliate margins. Individual trees of Red Maple can develop all male flowers, all female flowers, or both male and female flowers on the same tree. The slender petioles are 2-3½" long and light green to red. In some local ecotypes of this tree, the lower side of the leaves is slightly glaucous, while in others it is densely glaucous. The upper surface of the leaves is yellowish green to medium green and glabrous, while the lower surface is pale gray-green to white, glabrous or nearly glabrous, and glaucous. The base of each leaf is slightly cordate to rounded. The sinuses divide the leaf blade moderately deep and they are cleft. Individual leaves are 2½-4" long and a little less across they are divided into 3 palmate lobes (or less often 5 palmate lobes) and their margins are crenate-serrate. Pairs of opposite leaves occur along young twigs and shoots. Young leafy shoots are light green, glabrous, and terete they also have scattered white lenticels.
The bark of branches and older twigs is whitish gray and smooth, while young twigs of the current year are reddish brown, glabrous, terete, and covered with scattered white lenticels. Trunk bark of older trees is gray, irregularly scaly, and rough-textured, while trunk bark of young trees is light gray and more smooth. Description: This tree is 50-80' tall, forming a single trunk up to 3' across and a rounded crown with ascending to spreading branches.