OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Malvids: Sapindales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Acer rubrum var. rubrum   FAMILY Sapindaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Acer rubrum var. rubrum   FAMILY Aceraceae

INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 115-01-004:

Acer rubrum   FAMILY Aceraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Rufacer rubrum

 

COMMON NAME:
Eastern Red Maple


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm191222_2355_a_rubrum

    Clay County    AL

Cheaha State Park

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905)    mtna_i_729

        

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_acst_001_lvd

        

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm0502b_20

February    Greenville County    SC

Flowers appear before the leaves in dense axillary clusters, per The Native Maples of Georgia (Ware, 2003).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE flowers of Maple species

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm0303t_06

March    Pickens County    GA

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm0403n_02

March    Greenville County    SC

Roadside

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm0403p_28

March    Greenville County    SC

Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve

The Red Maples provide a hint of red in the early-Spring grey treeline.

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm160311_133

March    Greenville County    SC

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm160311_134

March    Greenville County    SC

Perianth usually red, 1-3mm long. Anthers 1.5-2mm long, filaments erect, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm220315_6073

March    Greenville County    SC

Bald Rock Heritage Preserve

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm240312_7699

March    Greenville County    SC

Twigs of all maples have opposite leaf scars, 3 bundle scars & scaled buds. Terminal buds present, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm0204j_20

April    Greenville County    SC

Roadside

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    s040404_d

April    Greenville County    SC

Fruit is the familiar double samara, with wings 3/4" long, per The Native Maples of Georgia (Ware, 2003).

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm0305h_32

May    Greenville County    SC

Jones Gap State Park

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm160527_012

May    Greenville County    SC

Leaves lightened below, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

Keith Bradley    kab_acer_rubrum_75327

June    Miami-Dade County    FL

Krome Bird Refuge

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm230713_4415

July    Greenville County    SC

Watson-Cooper Heritage Preserve

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_acer_rubrum_rubrum_11

August        

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_acer_rubrum_rubrum_5

August        

Mature leaves glabrous to densely pubescent (but not white-tomentose) beneath, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_acer_rubrum_rubrum_8

August        

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm211027_4592

October    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    s041023_b

October    Rutherford County    NC

Chimney Rock Park

Leaf base generally cordate (rarely rounded), per Weakley's Flora.

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    s041027_a

October    Greenville County    SC

Jones Gap State Park

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    s041027_c

October    Henderson County    NC

DuPont State Forest

Leaves (3)5(9)-lobed, the central lobe 4-8cm long, upper 2 lateral lobes 2-5cm, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    s041027_g

October    Henderson County    NC

DuPont State Forest

Sinuses are V-shaped, varying in size, irregularly serrate, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE leaves of Mapleleaf Viburnum and Maple species

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm0211g_02a

November    Greenville County    SC

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm0511c_09

November    Haywood County    NC

Corneille Bryan Native Garden

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm201107_8044

November    Greenville County    SC

Caesars Head State Park

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm201107_8092

November    Greenville County    SC

Caesars Head State Park

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    jkm211106_4833

November    Pickens County    SC

Palmetto Trail

image of Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Eastern Red Maple

JK Marlow    s011111_mr

November    Greenville County    SC

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Acer rubrum var. rubrum   FAMILY Sapindaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Acer rubrum var. rubrum   FAMILY Aceraceae

INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 115-01-004:
Acer rubrum   FAMILY Aceraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Rufacer rubrum

 

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14

Tree
Perennial
Monoecious, dioecious, or polygamous

Habitat: Upland deciduous forests, up to at least 1500m elevation, moist bottomlands and slopes, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

DOES THE PLANT HAVE "MILKY SAP"?
Does not have milky sap

LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Opposite

FLOWER:
Winter/Spring
Red (sometimes yellow)
Radially symmetrical
5 sepals
Unisexual or bisexual

FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Red
Schizocarp composed of two 1-seeded samaras

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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