Red Maple

Acer rubrum

Early season red blooms, pollinator/wildlife benefits, tolerant of many soils. Large, single to multistem, deciduous tree with strongly ascending, medium-texture branches and a compact, narrow or rounded crown that may grow to a height of 60-90'. This native, moderate to fast-growing tree has red flowers, fruit, leaf stalks and autumn foliage. Red maple is often used in landscaping as a shade tree because of its rapid growth, tolerance of a wide range of soil conditions and brilliant fall color. This species is a mid- to late successional tree of the north woods, but it also occurs in deciduous forests of central WI and southern MN. Red maple is commonly used for erosion control, site restoration or rehabilitation, and riparian buffer strips. This species is a "supergeneralist," growing on a wide variety of sites and a broad range of conditions (sun, shade, high or low nutrients, dry to moist soils). The branches are very weak and can be easily damaged.

USDA symbol: ACRU